Installation View of Exhibition
Wall Text and Hand Outs for Exhibtion - African Masks and Fetishes
All African tribes have their own distinct cultures. But some generalisations can be made about how they view the world. Of course, there are exceptions, but generally, African tribes see their society as being pure and good. In contrast, they see the wilderness as the source of all (for want of a better word) evil. Hence illness, including insanity, poor harvest, and any other form of bad fortune is caused by the invasion of wilderness spirits, or witches, that live in the wilderness (or bush). This is the opposite assumption underpinning Western civilization, in that humanity is thought to be inherently evil and the wilderness is the pure idyll.
In order to protect itself from invasion, the tribe constructs altars. Sometimes around the perimeter of the village, in a clearing, before the bush begins. Altar figures are carved explicitly to appease the wilderness and ancestor spirits. So that the spirits will inhabit the statues and masks, and not the lives of the villagers.
Masks have the added benefit of being animated, so the wilderness spirits are able to possess them during festivals, allowing them to enact their characters. All objects are intended to be physically imposing or confrontational, in order to effectively protect the village.
All African tribes have their own distinct cultures. But some generalisations can be made about how they view the world. Of course, there are exceptions, but generally, African tribes see their society as being pure and good. In contrast, they see the wilderness as the source of all (for want of a better word) evil. Hence illness, including insanity, poor harvest, and any other form of bad fortune is caused by the invasion of wilderness spirits, or witches, that live in the wilderness (or bush). This is the opposite assumption underpinning Western civilization, in that humanity is thought to be inherently evil and the wilderness is the pure idyll.
In order to protect itself from invasion, the tribe constructs altars. Sometimes around the perimeter of the village, in a clearing, before the bush begins. Altar figures are carved explicitly to appease the wilderness and ancestor spirits. So that the spirits will inhabit the statues and masks, and not the lives of the villagers.
Masks have the added benefit of being animated, so the wilderness spirits are able to possess them during festivals, allowing them to enact their characters. All objects are intended to be physically imposing or confrontational, in order to effectively protect the village.
Text and Images: “Courtesy to the Douglas Hyde Gallery”.
Post by: Angela
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