Carolyn Cooper | Ireko Baker, man with a passion for silk

Last Wednesday morning, Jamaica lost another brilliant artist. Baba Ireko Baker died at the age of 83. He was one of our many self-taught masters who intuitively found his calling in the arts. Ireko specialised in textiles and his primary medium was silk. He produced exquisite paintings of Jamaican landscapes and iconic folk figures with a sophisticated palette of both vibrant and subtle colours.

Ireko also created soft furnishings in linen and cotton. His hand-painted and silk-screened decorative fabrics often featured local plants and flowers. He designed with intricate Africentric patterns that reflected his philosophy of honouring the artistic traditions of our ancestors. Drums, masks and Ghanaian Adinkra symbols, for example, are recurring motifs. Ireko’s Rastafari livity was vividly manifested in his designs. One of his most memorable is a black lion with a red, green and gold flag, displayed on stark white fabric.

Then there was Ireko’s whole line of wearable art – clothing and accessories for both men and women: Shirts, pants, dresses, scarves, hats and lengths of iridescent fabric that could just be wrapped around the body. I had a weakness for Ireko’s designs. I have an elaborate silk-screened linen dress that’s still going strong after almost thirty years. The colours have faded but the impact of the design has lasted.

On the front and back of the dress there are three repeated images. The most striking, at the very top, is the head of a Rastaman with locks flying. Then there is a row of red, gold and green elongated pyramids. Further down, there’s an abstract image that looks like a boldly stylised leaf. Finally, there’s a double row of pyramids at the bottom of the dress. And if all of that sounds like just too much, trust me, it’s not. It’s a full-length dress. Over the top high fashion, pure and not so simple!

HANGING HAPPILY

Ireko’s artwork is housed in collections far and wide. In 2005, I was invited to speak at a conference in the US. I took one of his small silk paintings as a gift for the conference organiser. Appreciatively, he sent an email to a mutual friend, years later, describing Ireko’s painting in this way: “a lovely piece of Jamaican art that we had framed and [which] is hanging happily in our Miami entryway”.

There are so many of us who can gratefully confirm the joy that Ireko’s art continues to inspire. Ireko gave me, and my husband at the time, a beautiful wedding gift which outlasted the marriage. It was two gorgeous silk paintings. One featured a classic Jamaican house. The other celebrated two masked dancers, in the spirit of Isaac Belisario’s Sketches of Character, In Illustration of the Habits, Occupation, and Costume of the Negro Population in the Island of Jamaica, published in 1837. Ireko put his own spin on the subject.

Ireko was also an illustrator. The sociologist Eleanor Wint acknowledges his contribution to her book for children: “I want to say thanks to Ireko Baker who is the original illustrator of Marcus Teaches Us. It is his imagination and inspiration that made us work so well as a team”. Incidentally, in a letter to the Gleaner editor, published on August 24, 2015 with the headline, ‘Garvey book for preschoolers spurned’, Dr Wint asks this troubling question: “Could someone tell me why I have to be fighting so hard, with no apparent success, to have the book in the hands of preschoolers?” The Ministry of Education needs to answer.

ART AND TECHNOLOGY

Ireko’s generosity extended to his wide community of fellow artists. He was always engaged in development work that would increase their economic rewards. In September 2019, artist Laura Jones posted on Facebook: “Some people may or may not know that in the early days of what is now Jamaica Business Development Corporation (JBDC) – back in the 90s was JAMPRO Productivity Centre, Ireko Baker was part of a select team of artists called upon to influence and develop the Design Centre at 14 Camp Road.

“Next time you get the chance, really look at the JBDC logo. You will observe the artist with a palette running into the future with the computer. Yes … the concept for this logo was to show the strategic connection of the artist, design and creativity and its link not only to technology but to national development”.

Ireko’s community was first and foremost his own family. He was a gentle, nurturing patriarch. There’s a touching picture posted on his Facebook page on October 2, 2019. Baba Ireko tenderly cradles the head of his new granddaughter Sky with his left hand, as she lies on his chest, supported by his right hand.

Baba Ireko has run into the future to join the ancestors. His palette and computer are left behind. But for Sky and the generations of children he has taught in workshops over the decades, he has left a brilliant legacy of art that will long continue to enrich us all. Give thanks and praises for the life of Baba Ireko Baker!

- Carolyn Cooper, PhD, is a specialist on culture and development. Email feedback to columns@gleanerjm.com and karokupa@gmail.com.