Nike Davies-Okundaye Nigeria, b. 1951

Born in 1951 in Ogidi, Nigeria, Nike Davies-Okundaye is a fifth-generation textile artist, raised in the lineage of Yoruba women who passed down the traditions of Adire dyeing, embroidery, and weaving. With no formal art education, Nike began learning from her great-grandmother at the age of six. Inspired by the cultural significance of these practices as a form of “women’s art” passed through generations, she has dedicated her life to preserving and evolving these traditions. Her work frequently explores Adire, a Yoruba resist-dye technique using indigo on hand-painted cloth. These designs carry layered cultural and historical meanings, forming complex patterns recognized within Yoruba visual culture.

Nike’s early embroidery was often stitched onto burlap sacks, their rough edges left uncropped. These works depict narrative scenes featuring archetypal Yoruba community figures—farmers, market women, drummers, and palm wine tappers—as well as deities such as Sango and Olokun. The striking contrast between monochromatic backgrounds and the vivid, almost psychedelic hues of her threads conjures a surreal, dream-like atmosphere.

In her beadwork, Davies-Okundaye often draws on personal experience, embedding autobiographical elements through metaphor and symbolism. Despite working in secrecy during her early years, Nike’s career has spanned over five decades. She became an apprentice to Susanne Wenger, the Austrian artist active in Osogbo, a key center for Nigerian art and culture in the 1960s. In 1968, she held her first solo exhibition at the Goethe-Institut in Lagos. By 1974, Nike was among ten African artists selected to tour the United States, conducting workshops and lectures across all fifty states. She has since served as a guest lecturer on traditional textile techniques at institutions worldwide, including Harvard University.

Nike is a tireless advocate for women in the arts and craft industries. Affectionately known as “Mama Nike,” she is the founder and director of four art centers in Nigeria that offer free training in visual, musical, and performing arts. She also established Nike Art Gallery in Lagos—the largest private art gallery in Africa—housing over 8,000 works across five floors. In 2000, Nike was invited by the Italian government to train young Nigerian sex workers in Italy in traditional crafts. This initiative helped over 5,000 women learn Adire production, weaving, and other art forms, empowering them to build sustainable livelihoods. For this work, she received recognition from the United Nations and was awarded one of Italy’s highest national honors for using art to address social issues. In 2004, she was appointed to the UNESCO Committee of the Nigerian Intangible Cultural Heritage Project, and in 2005, the National Commission for Museums and Monuments of Nigeria awarded her a certificate of excellence for her contributions to cultural preservation.

Nike holds the chieftaincy titles of the Yeye Oba of Ogidi-Ijumu and the Yeye Tasase of Oshogbo.