Tapestry, Ìnù mí dùn | 2025

Installation (Agbalumo skin, kan kan sponge, terracotta clay, batik on cotton)

254 cm x 99 cm

Inumiduns tapestry is a mixed media installation and physical archive embodying my curiosities of the agbalumo fruit between 2021 & 2025. Presented as a vertical batik textile tapestry with hand printed repeated agbalumo seed patterns, holding bodies of achieved natural dehydrated agbalumo fruit skin, and hand-moulded agbalumo skin sculptures created with terracotta air-dried clay. This assemblage and interaction between both forms of agbalumo skin satisfied my indulgence in the fruit, finding safety in its pleasure and play.

The agbalumos repeated seed pattern prints on the tapestry discuss the ethics of food waste, preservation and ecological responsibilities in our world; bringing attention to the ‘nurture’ factor of seeds being prominent sources of nutrition for future generations. And kan kan sponge fibres (a mix of coconut husk, gourd fibres, palm tree roots, raffia fibres) embellish the edges of the tapestry, celebrating the memory of my maternal Grandmother's legacy in my childhood. The physical and visual interaction with kan kan sponge fibres evokes nostalgia. I remember Grandmama, our moments together, her stories. True home. 

Assembling this work made me wonder about thoughts on ‘ancestral futures and materials’ especially in ethnobotanical contexts relevant to the contemporary age. Harnessing memories and stories from tactile engagements and activation of indigenous natural materials. 

Let’s see where this goes…

Learn more: https://www.tomilolaolumideart.com/ìnùmídùn-2025