Turban c. 20th century

This turban was made by a Yoruba artist with woven fiber. Think of the meticulous work of the hand here, the hours spent threading and knotting. It's kind of like a painting made through process, with its own kind of mark making, where color and tone emerge gradually through a systematic building up of material. And look how the horizontal bands shift and change, building different weights, and dark to light. The artist must have held the whole composition in their mind's eye as they worked, adjusting and modifying the pattern with each new addition. Weaving, like painting, is such an immediate way to get at something, to make a space for inquiry. The Yoruba artist here is in conversation with artists of all times. The way the shapes emerge from a pattern, the way geometry is softened with use. This turban stands as a testament to the ongoing act of creation.