Form v. Customizations

    The form of the Susanne Wenger House is rather simple and existed before her time in Osogbo, in the style of an Afro-Brazilian home built in the early 19th century. What is incredibly interesting about her house is how she changed the facade of the home over time, and how it can be rather disjointed at times from the rectangular forms of the building.

    She did this over time by commissioning and collecting hundreds of artworks. Nearly every surface of the house is covered by art, usually done by the New Sacred Arts Movement. For example, one of the most notable customizations are the concrete fence sculptures made by Adebisi Akanji, but the house is also covered with carvings and shrine paintings.

    This brings into light some of the interesting conversations around people and religion. Susanne customized her space to be a reflection of her religion and community to the degree in which the house would likely be unrecognizable without it.