The “Authenticity Discourse” in Contemporary Application of West African Textiles

Abstract

This study provides a contextual discussion and re-thinking of the concept of authenticity of West African Textile designs with the changing nature of art and design practices. It further discusses how textile fabrics have evolved through a complex mix of cultural assimilation, translation, transformation and migration; and simultaneously how the various African diasporas have created a dialogue that has shaped subsequent textile developments utilizing a delicate balance of cultural and textile discourses. The works of Yinka Shonibare, Trine Lindegaard, Philippe Bestenhieder, Junya Watanabe, El Anatsui, Grace Ndiritu and other artists and fashion designers who have drawn inspirations from West African textile themes have been used as a means of discussing broader philosophical questions. Their works have found wider acceptance around the World and cast the right shadow for this study. These contemporary designers and artists have used West African textile fabrics in their work by exploring the uniqueness of their color, texture, symbolism, concepts or a combination of these characteristics. It has been inferred that shifting authenticities of process and materiality in contemporary art practice must be embraced as a positive phenomenon and must be considered to be part of a global creative endeavor.