Hand Embroidery and Visual Communication Nexus: Analysis of Temitayo Taofeek Badru’s Embroidered Works

Abstract

Art has passed through a series of changes right from the first man in the cave, and artists through the ages have also explored different methods and materials. Such an aspect is the art of hand embroidery. Hand embroidery is a form of decorative stitches for embellishment on worn apparel and garments that was widely used in the past. This paper examines selected embroidered works by Temitayo Taofeek Badru. These artworks are coded with African philosophy, especially Yorùbá proverbs, sayings, myths, folklore and aphorisms, and social issues in society. This is to establish the development of creativity in embroidery works and artist's contributions to contemporary Nigerian art. The paper also discusses the biography and artistic development of the artist, classifies the selected works into expressionistic and Realistic styles, and analyses the symbolic forms of the works. Data were collected through oral interviews with the artist and participant observation method. Data were also gathered from journal articles and art exhibition catalogues of the artist. Descriptive and formal methods of art historical studies were used to analyse the data. The study revealed that Badru grew up in an environment that encouraged his artistic development. It was found that the artist mostly uses expressionistic and realistic styles in his embroidered works and that he sometimes combines the use of threads and acrylic paints for the realistic style he adopts. The paper concludes that Badru has taken Textile Art to a new dimension through the use of hand embroidery for artistic innovations, which has equally contributed to the development of contemporary Nigerian art.