Diptych has at the top an image of a Yoruba ruler, and at the bottom an image of  the landscape or cityscape of their domain.

Muyiwa Osifuye (Olumuyiwa Osifuye), 2007

The Orangun of Ila, Oba Abdul-Wahab Kayode Adedeji Oyedotun (Arutu-Oluokun Bibiire I)

Created by Muyiwa Osifuye (Olumuyiwa Osifuye) in 2007. The artwork is a diptych of two c-prints on aluminum, each image displayed at 75 x 100 cm.

A diptych is a type of artwork that consists of two parts, for instance two photographs combined within a single frame. This informs the viewer that there is some relationship between the two images. The top image is a portrait of Oba Abdul-Wahab Kayode Adedeji Oyedotun, a Yoruba king in Nigeria, seated on his throne in traditional dress. The photograph underneath offers a view across his domain, the city that falls under his rule. The work is part of the series Kaabiyesi: Courts of Influence, in which the photographer Olumuyiwa Osifuye examines the role of traditional leaders in Nigeria and Benin. Although their domains continue to play an important historical and religious role, their political power has largely faded away. Today these leaders find themselves in a complicated split between tradition and modernity. The ‘Kaabiyesi!’ greeting is exclusively used for the Yoruba king and is used as a tribute when greeted by his underlings, acknowledging that his words and decisions are inviolable.

© Muyiwa Osifuye (Olumuyiwa Osifuye), courtesy of the Foam Collection

thumbnail The Orangun of Ila, Oba Abdul-Wahab Kayode Adedeji Oyedotun (Arutu-Oluokun Bibiire I)

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The Orangun of Ila, Oba Abdul-Wahab Kayode Adedeji Oyedotun (Arutu-Oluokun Bibiire I)