Woven realms

kó is pleased to present Woven realms, a solo exhibition by Ruth Ige. Titled after a line from the artist’s poem, the exhibition brings together paintings and works on paper whose narratives weave across aspects of art, history, precolonial practices, mythology, speculative fiction, fashion, African culture, and diaspora. 

Ruth Ige’s paintings construct mythical spaces where silhouetted figures, predominantly women, inhabit worlds that feel at once earthly and otherworldly. Their individual facial features remain indecipherable, while flowing, voluminous garments give their bodies an expanded presence. Some hold poses that recall the conventions of classical portraiture, while others drift through expansive landscapes. Working in varying shades of blue, Ige moves between indigo, midnight tones, and pale washes, creating environments that suggest gardens, bodies of water, and night skies. In works on paper, this blue palette takes on a material dimension through the use of West African indigo (Philenoptera cyanescens) dried pigment, alongside Ugu, Uziza, and Bitterleaf (Ewuro/Onugbu) dried leaves. 

And you are of the heavens and of the earth,
Beloved of the light
Beloved of the water
Beloved of the spirit and all its wonder.
You are the light revealed 
The light released 
The light unwavering 
Uncontained
Moving through woven realms, 
dimensions, universes, and worlds
You are worthy of the earth and all its blessings 
You are worthy of the heavens and all its honour. 

    – Ruth Ige

Source: Ko Artspace website