One Piece: Fabric Heroes

All journeys must start somewhere, even if you are an art hero like the above mentioned four. But if you are driven by the purest form of fuel, that of utter necessity, it doesn’t really matter if all travelers start in the same place. Their determination will undoubtedly lead them to cross each other’s paths somewhere along the way and morph into an ever-stronger force, ready to take the art world by storm. 

For Yasmine van Haesebroucke and Aàdesokan, their paths first crossed when Aàdesokan did a residency at Yasmine’s workplace in Kortrijk. At De Zandberg, where an astounding group of neurodivergent artists work most days of the week, the two bonded and started working together on their first collaborative exhibition in 2022. Yasmine’s work, which is defined by her unimaginable enthusiasm and love for the entire Korean Pop scene which she translates into extremely accurate drawings, inspired Aàdesokan instantly. For him, eighty percent of his work is research. He interrogates the mind, which results in balanced compositions of art, photography, and literature that enshrine all these thoughts and inquiries. The pace at De Zandberg, and Yasmine’s work proved to be the perfect conditions and study material. 

At the same time, it confronted Aàdesokan with the reality of his brother and (Outsiderwear) artist Al-Aàdesokan in whom he saw a lot of the same unique artistic qualities as Yasmine. Both artists share a strong artistic connection to South-East Asian visual language and culture. Where Yasmine explores K-Pop, Al-Aàdesokan is a true manga lover and draftsman. In addition, both artists are extremely intuitive and let their need to create determine their daily outcome. Yet for Al- Aàdesokan, who has Cerebral Palsy, there is a complete lack of opportunities. Lagos offers no structural art workplace for neurodivergent artists like De Zandberg yet, meaning Al-Aàdesokans access to a professional art practice was hardly existent. 

But as mentioned before, when you are an art superhero, your art will inevitably find its way into the world. And so Aàdesokan, ever the engineer, weaved his vision like a thread through the world, sewing the collaboration he had in mind together through two continents. He contacted his soul friend and artist Musa Ganiyy, who also lives and works in Lagos and like Al-Aàdesokan draws and illustrates, but also makes unique handmade tie-dye fabrics, and linked him to his brother. It was a match made in fabric heaven. From there, the four art heroes decided that the best way to connect their intercontinental journeys and find a shared destination was by implementing one and the same comprehensive piece that would entail all their shared passions and practices: a kimono. 

As the saying goes, and this is true even if you are an art hero, the journey itself matters just as much as the finished product. Or as Musa puts it: the limitless exploration of art and all the fun you have along the way is what determines the destination. After all, you can’t put a price tag on experience, but you can submerge in it. And so, there is no set route when you are welcomed into someone else’s reality of what art means, whether in Kortrijk, in Lagos or here in this exhibition. The key is to be free to go as you feel. Let that be the undercurrent of all art lovers and art heroes worldwide, so that visions and opportunities will pour into each other, giving all artists the possibility to create what needs to be created, wherever.

Photography by: Caecilia Rasch