It is said that art can be made from almost anything and everything, but it takes the genius of creativity to transform an unwanted, undesirable piece of waste material into a breath-taking, stunning piece of art. Many artists of African descent have been turning waste into art, saving the environment, and creating beauty at the same time. Some of the more remarkable artworks made through this process are in the African textile art space. 

In Nigeria, artists have been using innovative means to create unique art for a long time and some of these are well documented and on display on Aworanka's archive. Recently, the need to rid the environment of pollution and save the planet from toxicity has increased the awareness of African artists whose works are generated from recycling and upcycling wastes and scraps. 

The Ankara fabric – originally manufactured in the Netherlands - has unarguably become Nigeria’s national fabric as it is the go-to fabric for traditional wear and has even been incorporated into Western designs not just in Nigeria, but among the countries that make up the West African sub-continent. As such, scraps of Ankara fabric contribute to the clogging of water bodies and pollution of the land area in cities and towns of these countries. However, use has been found for these environmental nuisances – textile art!

Celebrated contemporary Nigerian female artist Marcellina Akpojotor collects scraps of Ankara fabric from tailors and fashion designers in the city of Lagos to create colorful portraits by employing collaging and traditional painting techniques. 

According to her profile, her goal is to create sustainable art which is aimed at transforming waste fabric materials that should ordinarily be used as landfills into a recycled work of art. On what drove her to make art out of the popular choice of clothing, Marcellina said, “I was so inspired by those materials. In this part of the world we use them to celebrate all kinds of festivity: burial, naming ceremony, wedding”. 

Marcellina Akpojotor’s work combines art and fashion on canvas, complimented with acrylic paint. Her fabric art pieces evoke compelling visual imagery exploring femininity, personal and societal identity, and issues surrounding women's empowerment in contemporary society. With her portrait of a woman’s profile using tiny slivers of fabric to color her skin, lips, and clothing, and another of a child playing, her form in bright swatches, casting a shadow, Akpojotor explores the politics of the fabric as a cultural signifier and a conduit for memory and shared energy.

The recipient of the Ronke Ekwensi Art Fellowship & Residency, Marcellina’s works has been displayed internationally at the 19th Bone Performance Art Festival, in Bern, Switzerland, and Sisters: The Art of Nigerian Women in 2018 at the Carnegie Gallery, Columbus, Ohio. She also participated at ‘Onobrakpeya and the Harmattan workshop’, at Lagos Court of Arbitration, Lagos, in 2016, and her work, Tobi (2015) was used as the cover image for the novel Jagua Nana by Nigerian author Cyprian Ekwensi first published in 1961 and republished under Penguin Random Art ‘Modern Classic’ in May 2018.

Marcellina heralds a new crop of African textile artists who are creating magic from Nigeria’s beloved Ankara.