In the Ewe language, Adann means originality and creativity, while Avor means textile. The title of the exhibition was created by combining both words. The textiles, displayed in the exhibition at Galerie Göttlicher in Krems-Stein, Austria, were produced by the Ghanaian artist Kofi Setordji in collaboration with Kente – master weavers from different regions and weaving cultures of Ghana. Traditionally, each clan has its own particular style of Kente, and each of which has its own meaning. Kofi Setordji designed a new form of Kente, which he then discussed and created with master weavers. New dyeing and weaving techniques have been thereby explored and integrated, where lightness is celebrated. New meanings have inscribed themselves into the woven textiles.
Invited by Kofi Setordji (artist) and Baerbel Mueller (curator), the [A]FA team has dealt with possible ways of displaying Kente for the exhibition. The aim was to find a spatial translation that reflects Kofi Setordji's interest in also understanding Kente as a usable textile, as a second skin, between the epidermis and the built space. Therefore, alternative ways of displaying Kente, which reject treating the textiles as flat artefacts, and therefore hanging them in a two-dimensional manner, have been developed. The exhibition design also needed to respond to the vault architecture and square proportions of the gallery space.
Following the exhibition in Krems-Stein, the work continues in Ghana: Exhibition architectures are being developed for the new textile museum of the Nubuke Foundation in Wa, whose artistic director is Kofi Setordji.
ARTIST
Kofi Setordji
CURATOR
Baerbel Mueller
EXHIBITION DEISGN
Arian Lehner, Ben Goern, Mary Denman, Stephanie Rizaj
ADANNVOR
