Ìyálóde

With Ìyálóde, Ishola Akpo pays tribute to the power of women, embodied by portraits of famous and forgotten queens from African history. First exhibited at the Venice Biennale, this work has yet to make the journey from Italy for this expo.

The work is inspired by 18th-century queen Tassi Hangbe and her relationship with the Amazons, a renowned female army of the time. In an archive photograph of this indigenous army, Akpo has made the only man who stood up as leader there disappear under a new image of a contemporary, colourful woman. She is stitched over it in enlarged format with striking red stitches: a statement to bring strong women to the fore and give them recognition for their role.