Oyotunji Village/​Yemoja Priests

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Marilyn Nance, Oyotunji Village/Yemoja Priests, 1981, gelatin silver print, sheet: 15 7⁄8 x 19 7⁄8 in. (40.4 x 50.4 cm.), Smithsonian American Art Museum, Museum purchase made possible by the Luisita L. and Franz H. Denghausen Endowment and the Smithsonian Institution Collections Acquisition Program, 1994.66.3, © 1981, Marilyn Nance

Artwork Details

Title
Oyotunji Village/​Yemoja Priests
Artist
Date
1981
Location
Not on view
Dimensions
sheet: 15 7⁄8 x 19 7⁄8 in. (40.4 x 50.4 cm.)
Copyright
© 1981, Marilyn Nance
Credit Line
Museum purchase made possible by the Luisita L. and Franz H. Denghausen Endowment and the Smithsonian Institution Collections Acquisition Program
Mediums Description
gelatin silver print
Classifications
Subjects
  • Figure group
  • Ceremony — religion
  • Occupation — religion — clergy
  • Landscape — South Carolina — Sheldon
Object Number
1994.66.3
Linked Open Data
https://edan.si.edu/saam/id/object/1994.66.3

Artwork Description

In 1981, Nance traveled to Beaufort County, South Carolina, to photograph the people of Oyotunji Village, a small community founded in 1970 that combined Black Nationalist ideology with aspects of Yoruba and Fon (Nigerian) culture. The traditional apparel worn by the Yemoja priests and the markings on the buildings give an otherworldly feel to the scene. But in the center, between the structures, Nance included a car that identities the picture as a modern image. Nance shot and printed the photograph with the crisp tonality characteristic of the documentary style for which she is well known.


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