“Guaranteed Real Nigerian Adire - Available by the Yard!”
Through this body of work, Nnebe adapts the traditional process of tie-dye (adire in Yoruba) in order to develop what she calls “tie-dye” or “adire photographs”.
A first iteration of the project features archival images from the 1929 Aba and 1947 Abeokuta Women's Wars that highlight how dress—specifically the wrapper—became a uniform and marker of protest, cutting across class and ethnic differences.
By reproducing these images on fabric sold in two-yard segments - enough for a wrapper - Nnebe engages with the circulation and social function of Nigerian textiles both within and outside of art contexts, while playing on the dominance of Dutch wax print.
The artist would like to acknowledge the support of the Canada Council for the Arts.