In contemporary African art, textiles are far more than materials; they are powerful symbols woven with identity, memory, and cultural significance. Across the continent, fabric has long held a unique place as a form of visual storytelling, where patterns, colors, and textures transmit ancestral knowledge, social status, and historical events. Today, artists are harnessing the symbolism of textiles to craft narratives that bridge past and present, exploring themes of heritage, personal identity, environmental advocacy, and social commentary.
By integrating cloth, stitching, and weaving into their work, these creators are not only preserving cultural practices but also repurposing them, transforming textiles into dynamic vehicles for critique and introspection. Through this rich and tactile medium, contemporary African artists offer audiences a deeply resonant connection to Africa’s diverse stories, where every thread and fiber carries layered meanings that transcend borders.
Yinka Shonibare is a pivotal figure in contemporary African art who masterfully incorporates textiles to explore complex themes of identity, colonialism, and globalization. His work frequently features Dutch wax-print fabrics which have come to symbolize Africa, yet originate from a cross-cultural history involving Indonesia, the Netherlands, and West Africa. This layered history of the textile itself becomes a metaphor in Shonibare’s work, highlighting issues of cultural hybridity and post-colonial identity.
The Scramble for Africa is one of his installation pieces that reflects this using African textiles. It presents a large table surrounded by headless mannequins dressed in Victorian-style clothing made from African textiles. The work references the Berlin Conference of 1884-85, where European powers divided Africa without any African representation. The juxtaposition of European-style attire and African fabric critiques the lingering impacts of colonialism and the complex identities that emerged from it.
Nelson’s Ship in a Bottle is another piece that highlights this. Since 2012, the piece has stood outside the National Maritime Museum’s Sammy Ofer Wing. This public installation, originally displayed on the Fourth Plinth in Trafalgar Square, London, presents a scale model of Admiral Nelson’s HMS Victory, its sails crafted from vibrant African wax print fabric. By embedding African identity into this symbol of British naval power, Shonibare reclaims the vessel, reflecting on the entanglements between Britain and Africa. For Shonibare, the piece is a celebration of multiculturalism, acknowledging the 823 men aboard the Victory at the Battle of Trafalgar, who hailed from diverse regions, including Brazil, India, Africa, and the Caribbean. As Shonibare explains, “It’s a celebration of London’s immense ethnic wealth, giving expression to and honoring the many cultures and ethnicities that are still breathing precious wind into the sails of the United Kingdom.”
His vibrant pictorial quilt, African Bird Magic (Saker Falcon) I, stands as yet another richly woven textile masterpiece, capturing the mesmerizing elegance of African artistry and the symbolic beauty of nature through intricate fabric patterns and textures.
Textiles serve as a profound medium for identity and social commentary, weaving together personal and collective histories. Using textiles alongside other materials, Peju Alatise’s piece, High Horses, employs fabric to underscore both the strength and vulnerability of her subjects, portraying the complexities of women’s existence. Alatise captures the restrictive expectations placed on women, particularly within the African society, where they are often expected to remain silent, unseen, and compliant—existing only for others to control. For generations, women have been confined, like a show on high horses, displayed but voiceless, slowly suffocating under the weight of patriarchy. Yet a new hope rises with younger generations, who are questioning these constraints. They are speaking out, refusing to be silenced. They are shattering the glass walls and breaking free from roles imposed upon them – they will not remain mere displays; they will claim their place, unconfined and unapologetic.
African artists are reimagining textiles by merging traditional methods like weaving and dyeing with modern themes like punching, “bubbling”, knotting, and others, creating art that feels both familiar and revolutionary. This approach transforms fabric into a layered narrative, where heritage meets activism, pushing African voices into global conversations on identity and resilience. Fiker Solomon and Tegene Kunbi, both Ethiopian artists, actively integrate this.
Fiker Solomon has developed a distinctive approach to textile art by using natural materials like jute, cotton, and sisal to create intricate tapestries that embody a harmonious relationship with nature. Her process is deeply experimental—she punches, knots, and stitches each element, continuously seeking new ways to intertwine and transform these materials. Drawing on the cycles of the natural world, she creates pieces that mirror the fluid landscapes of human emotion, highlighting the deep interdependence between cultures, nature, and humanity. Also, Fiker’s commitment to using 100% biodegradable materials, reflects her dedication to sustainability. Her practice carries personal significance as well; having learned textile work from her mother.
Tegene Kunbi, in like manner, skillfully portrays his multimedia artistry by using vibrant textiles and bold colors to create abstract landscapes that reflect Ethiopia’s cultural and natural essence. Integrating richly patterned fabrics into his textured oil paintings, he transforms canvas into layered maps of place and memory. His work explores the push and pull between material and meaning, drawing from Ethiopian landscapes and cultural symbols to capture the harmony between color, form, and texture. Educated in Western realism, Kunbi defies traditional landscapes by embracing abstraction, using textiles and color as his distinctive language to convey nostalgia, identity, and a reimagined connection to home.
As beacons of cultural symbolism and storytelling, textiles weave histories, identities, and shared memories into their intricate patterns and colors. Notably, Malian artist, Abdoulaye Konaté is celebrated for his monumental textile installations crafted from native woven and dyed fabrics. His works, ranging from abstract to figurative forms, delve into the complexities of social, political, and environmental issues, mirroring both local realities and global narratives. Drawing on the West African tradition of textiles as tools for expression, Konaté uses cloth much like a painter uses color, filling expansive spaces with fabric that reflects the creative spirit of Malian art. His creations confront challenges faced by societies worldwide—conflict, faith, globalization, ecological shifts, and the AIDS crisis—while remaining deeply rooted in the culture and resilience of Mali. Through his innovative approach, Konaté reinterprets Mali’s rich textile heritage, weaving Africa’s stories into his work with authenticity and profound insight. His large scale installation, Source de lumière (Soleil/Sun) Motif d’Arabie sur Fond Ocre, displayed at the Efie Gallery, stands as a remarkable testament to this artistic vision.
Contemporary African artists persist in spotlighting the rich symbolism of textiles, underscoring their enduring relevance as powerful vessels for storytelling, cultural expression, and social reflection.
