The Volta — Teal Bolga Sculpture Basket

Elephant grass dyed a deep teal, the green-blue of moving water, woven row on row and then turned. The body spirals in soft, full folds from a narrow base up to an open rim that lifts into two raised lips, so it looks like water caught mid-swirl. It’s named for the Volta, the great river and lake that runs through the heart of Ghana. At 17 inches, it’s the most compact of Nanasei Agyemang’s sculptures at WILLAGE, sized for a side table, a shelf or a sideboard rather than the floor.

Bolga baskets have been woven in Ghana’s Upper East Region for generations, as sifters, storage, and everyday carriers. Nanasei and the Bolgatanga weavers he trains soften the same grass in water and shape it by hand into forms that sit between vessel and sculpture. No two are alike, and this is the only one. It’s the easiest way into the collection, and a gift that brings real color to a room without taking it over.

Approx. 17 in H × 15 in L × 10 in W (43 × 38 × 25 cm) · 3 lbs · Hand-harvested elephant grass· Handwoven in Ghana by Nanasei Agyemang