African Art

Mexico City's National Museum of Anthropology is currently hosting a special exhibit of art from the African nation of the Ivory Coast.  Last week I went there to see the show.

The Ivory Coast (or Cote d'Ivoire in French, the official language) is a country with 68 different ethnic groups, each with its own language.  The rural population still follows animist beliefs, while the south is largely Christian and the north Moslem.  As a result there is a diversity of artistic traditions.

"Gba gba" masks are created by the Baule culture to use in dances for funerals and important events.

This double mask represents the sun and the moon as well as the duality of masculine and feminine.

This mask is topped with a mythological bird which is a symbol of fertility.

This feminine mask represents beauty and wisdom.

A large wooden carving of a boat with an oarsman, passengers, and a colonial official.

A carving of a "blolo".  The Baule people believe that from birth each person has a "blolo" or spouse that lives in an invisible, parallel world.

A wooden harps which includes a figure of a woman and child and a chameleon on the back.

This sculpture from the Attie culture of a woman may have stood at the entrance to a temple or the house of an important person.

This headress from the Senufo culture combines elements from various animals to symbolize power.

Masks such as this one were used by the Dan culture during the initiation ceremonies in which boys passed into manhood.

Masks such as this one from the Guro culture represented popular proverbs... in this case, "Hear no evil, speak no evil, see no evil".

This mask would be worn by the person who had the responsibility to make sure that all domestic fires in the village had been put out after cooking... a safety measure in communities where houses had thatched roofs.

The black designs on this cotton fabric were created with a technique known as "painting the cloth with earth".   Fine gray dirt would be applied to the fabric.  It would oxidize the cotton, and after washing it would leave dark brown or black designs.

These and other objects from the Ivory Coast will be on display at the Anthropology Museum through December.