Nike Davies-Okundaye

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Nike Davies-Okundaye is a Nigerian batik designer, considered to be the foremost designer on the west coast of Africa.

Davies-Okundaye was brought up amidst the traditional weaving and dying as practised in her home town of Ogidi in North Central Nigeria, though she has become known for a modern approach to traditional themes in her colourful batik and paintings. Over the past twenty years she has given workshops on traditional Nigerian textiles to audiences in the United States and Europe. Finding that the traditional methods of weaving and dying that had been her original inspiration were fading in Nigeria, Davies set about launching a revival of this aspect of Nigerian culture, building art centres offering free courses for young Nigerians to learn traditional arts and crafts. Nike remain one of the best African artists. She is the mother to college of santa fe graduate renowned artist Olabayo Olaniyi. Nike has more than 100 students in Europe and America. she is also a philantropist.

[edit] Published sources

A book about Davies was written by:

• Kim Marie Vaz, The Woman with the Artistic Brush: A Life History of Yoruba Batik Artist Nike Davies^[1]

[edit] On-line sources

• Official site

[edit] References

1. ^ Bourgatti, Jean M. (1997). "The Woman with the Artistic Brush" (book review). International Journal of African Historical Studies 30 (1): 216 – 218.