For More Information About �
“Imagining a Global City � Visions of Indianapolis and the World”
November 16, 2008 Indianapolis Museum of Art
For more information about Africa, check out some of the resource pages on www.provocate.org:
- Congo
- Coltan, the resource necessary for cell phones, laptops, and other electronic goods that is claimed to be contributing to the terrible civil war in Congo
- South Africa
- Women and conflict in Africa
- The “resource curse” blighting Africa
This discussion uses important pieces of African art at the Indianapolis Museum of Art to explore the possibility of mutual learning between cultures. Here are the three pieces, and their description from the IMA�s website:
Healing of Abiku Children
Artist Twins Seven-Seven, nationality Nigerian, born 1944- Creation date 1973
Twins Seven-Seven was born in Ibadan, Nigeria. He changed his name from Taiwo Olaniyi Oyewale because he is the only survivor of seven sets of twins by his mother. In the 1960s he joined an art workshop in Oshogbo, Nigeria that was established by Georgina and Ulli Beier, two German painters. At the beginning of his profession he exhibited his art in Nigeria, Germany and England. This helped to establish his career as an internationally recognized artist and his works are in public and private collections around the world.
Healing of Abiku Children depicts a religious practice. In Yoruba belief, abiku is a child who dies shortly after being born and is reborn several times into the same family. In order to halt this cycle of death and rebirth mothers bring their children to a divination priest. In the center of this picture is a mother who has brought her twins to a priest, who is seated in the structure behind the mother. Other women in the background assist in the ritual by bringing supplies.
Twins Seven-Seven developed a distinct style. The surfaces of his works are covered from edge to edge with intricate, curved patterns. Images or abstract patterns occupy every available space.
Densely populated with intricate patterns and active figures, this painting depicts a Yoruba ritual. The Yoruba believe that infants who die shortly after birth are continually reborn into the same family. These reborn spirits are known as abiku. The scene depicts mothers bringing their children to a divination priest, who performs a ritual intended to break the cycle of new incarnations and entice the child spirit to remain with the community.
Healing of Abiku Children is dominated by a large mother-figure, who faces the viewer as she awaits guidance from the priest framed in a doorway to her right. The scene teems with people engaged in various tasks; their large, prominent eyes and the linear scarification marks on their cheeks represent traditional Yoruba ideals of beauty.
The artist is the only survivor of seven sets of twins. Formerly known as Taiwo Olaniyi Oyewale, he changed his name to Twins Seven-Seven in the early 1960s, when he first became successful. His work fuses personal vision with classical Yoruba elements, resulting in a distinctive style characterized by rhythmic designs that often fill the entire picture plane. Some of his works, like this one, cross categories by realizing a sculptural quality due to the layering of cut-out and painted wood. Trained in the workshop of German painters in Nigeria in the 1960s, Twins Seven-Seven is one of that country�s most prominent and versatile contemporary artists.
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Duvor (communal cloth)
Artist: El Anatsui, nationality Ghanaian. Born 1944- Creation date 2007; Materials aluminum, copper wire; Dimensions 13 x 17 ft.
As one of Africa�s most influential contemporary artists, El Anatsui makes metal wall sculptures resembling draped and bunched cloths that are similar in pattern to traditional West African strip woven textiles.
Anatsui�s work is constructed of discarded and flattened liquor bottle caps, stitched together using copper wires.
By transforming discarded objects into works of art, Anatsui comments on consumerism, disposability, and the colonial legacy of the rum trade.
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Songye community power figure
Culture or people: Songye people, Creation date 1900-1930 Materials wood, cloth, feathers, fur, reptile skin, metals, pigment. Dimensions H: 33 in.
This figure belongs to a widespread Central African tradition of maintaining power figures that derive their authority from the insertion and application of spiritually charged substances. The identity of these substances is secret to the ritual specialist who applies them and varies significantly. Some of the many documented substances include certain river clay, some herbs, ashes of burnt trees from a battleground and the flesh of someone who has committed suicide.
These sacred substances are found at the top of the head, the mouth, the ears, the abdomenand the anus. The accompanying photographsof an x-ray reveals some of the insertions and applications of sacred substances.
Large Songye power figures like this example belonged to the entire community, while small power figures were owned by individuals. This figure would have been brought out to a community gathering to deal with occasional communal concerns such as crop failure, widespread illness, or a territorial dispute with a neighboring village. The figure with its spiritual charge was considered a protective entity.
The large Songye power figure, acquired in 2005, represents a major enhancement of the museum’s holdings of Central African art. It is particularly interesting because radiographs reveal the presence of substances in the head and torso that are considered by the Songye to be sacred and empowering. This figure would have been brought out to a community gathering to deal with occasional communal concerns, such as crop failure, widespread illness, or a territorial dispute with a neighboring village. The figure, with its spiritual charge, was considered a protective entity.
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More Information about Twins Seven Seven and �Healing Abiku Children�
The Journal of the American Medical Association wrote in 2005:
He is an artist like no other: painter, draftsman, sculptor, printmaker, metal worker, textile designer; he is also a musician: singer, dancer, bandleader, drummer. He is a writer, a poet. And he has acting credits. His official name is Prince Taiwo Olaniyi Oyewale-Toyeje Oyekale Osuntoki, but he chooses to be known by the simpler, distinctive construction of Twins Seven Seven. Descended from a Nigerian chieftain, Twins Seven Seven (1944- ) was born in Ibadan to a leather worker father and cloth weaver mother; his mother was also a trader in women�s jewelry and clothing. When he was eight years old his father died and he moved with his mother to her ancestral village in the province of Kabba. At age 16 he left school and began the journey that would take him and his art around the world.
The first stop was Lagos, where he became a driver-apprentice, but after two years he went to Oshogbo, where he joined the experimental art workshop of two German artists, Ulli Beier and Suzanne Wenger. Because of the workshop, Oshogbo had become something of a tourist attraction; Twins Seven Seven was soon the center of that attraction.
Twins Seven Seven�s (Ibeji Meje Meje) name alludes to the fact that he was the only survivor in a family that had had seven sets of twins (ibeji meje). �Taiwo� in his original name indicates that he was the first-born twin of the set. (The second born of each pair is called �Kehinde�; though younger, Kehinde is charged with taking care of Taiwo.) If either, Taiwo or Kehinde, died�as was frequently the case�the spirit of the dead twin was embodied in a wooden carving, ere ibeji, and the surviving twin was responsible for caring for it for as long as it lived. Twins Seven Seven, as the sole surviving member of 14 babies, had an especially heavy duty in caring for the spirits of all his deceased siblings.
Twins Seven Seven completed Healing of Abiku Children when he was in his late twenties. It had been commissioned a year earlier by the Indianapolis physician Dr Hanus Grosz under the general rubric of �Healing.� The painting is a depiction of a religious ceremony of the Yoruba people that Twins Seven Seven knew from his own experience. According to Yoruba belief, abiku is a child who is fated to die not long after birth. Rebirth into the same family occurs, but this is followed by early death once again. The cycle continues until the mother brings the child to a divination priest, who, by means of special rituals and incantations to the spirits, persuades the child spirit to remain with its community. In Healing of Abiku Children such a mother is clearly identified. The largest single figure in the painting, she sits on an ornate stool in the foreground holding a twin in her lap, while another sleeps on her back. At her feet are tiny pictures of twins, and in an upward diagonal pointing left, a line of numerous other, seemingly paired children, representing perhaps her previous twin children. Framed in a doorway is the priest mixing potions, while behind him are throngs of people, villagers perhaps come to watch the ceremony. To the right are women arriving with supplies. Throughout the painting are other figures engaged in various other tasks, lavishly decorated structures, elaborate clothing, and, in the upper background, birds, representing perhaps spirits. Not a millimeter of space is left undecorated.
One need not know the narrative or symbolism behind the work to enjoy the painting, however. Like all his work, Healing of Abiku Children is exuberant, flamboyant, attention-grabbing, as Twins Seven Seven is himself said to be. The work is big and bold, busy as a marketplace, lush as an autumn forest; it is as complex as human relationships, as richly layered and as elaborately textured as the finest arras tapestry. The colors are warm and comforting, richly burnished, like sun on copper. And they are loud, as attention-getting as the blast of the trumpet on judgment day. Now considered the most famous representative of the Nigerian Oshogbo school of painting, Twins Seven Seven�s work is in museums throughout the world. He was recently (May 2005) named UNESCO Artist for Peace, �in recognition of his contribution to the promotion of dialogue and understanding among peoples, particularly in Africa and the African Diaspora.�
You can learn more about Twins Seven Seven here, here, and here.
Watch and listen to Twins Seven Seven discuss �Healing of Abiku Children� in this IMA video:
The background music you hear in this video is by Twins Seven Seven as well. He�s a well-known musician in Nigeria. His “Nigerian Beat” is a great album:
Depending on your view about downloading music, you could go here or here � or order it from Amazon. Or watch Twins Seven Seven in this 38-year-old video of Yoruba drummers filmed by Cream drummer Ginger Baker.
More Information about Yoruba Twins
From the academic journal Twin Research, this article on “Yoruba Customs and Beliefs Pertaining to Twins”:
The Yoruba are an important ethnic group mainly occupying
Southwestern Nigeria. Mainly for genetic reasons, this very
large tribe happens to present the highest dizygotic twinning
rate in the world (4.4 % of all maternities). The high perinatal
mortality rate associated with such pregnancies has con-
tributed to the integration of a special twin belief system
within the African traditional religion of this tribe. The latter is
based on the concept of a supreme deity called Olodumare or
Olorun, assisted by a series of secondary gods (Orisha) while
Yoruba religion also involves immortality and reincarnation of
the soul based on the animistic cult of ancestors. Twins are
therefore given special names and believed to detain special
preternatural powers. In keeping with their refined artistic tradi-
tion, the Yoruba have produced numerous wooden statuettes
called Ibejis that represent the souls of deceased newborn
twins and are involved in elaborate rituals. Among Yoruba tradi-
tional beliefs and lore some twin-related themes are
represented which are also found in other parts of the world.
Basic features of the original Yoruba beliefs have found their
way into the religious traditions of descendants of African
slaves imported in the West Indies and in South America.
As the Yoruba believe that twins share the same combined
soul, when a newborn twin dies, the life of the other is
imperilled because the balance of his soul has become seri-
ously disturbed. To counteract this danger a special ritual is
carried out. After consulting the Babalawo, an artisan will
be commissioned to carve a small wooden figure as a sym-
bolic substitute for the soul of the deceased twin. If both
twins have died, two of these figures are made.
These effigies are called Ere ibeji (from �ibi� = born
and �eji� = two; ere means sacred image). By virtue of his
immortal soul hosted by his ibeji, the departed twin remains as
powerful as the living one. The ibeji(s) will have
to be cared for by the parents or later on by the surviving
twin. Therefore, these figures are symbolically washed, fed
and clothed on a regular basis, according to a popular
Yoruba saying �dead ibeji expenses are expenses for the living�
… According to these customs, the mother enjoys certain
privileges even if both her twins have died.
You can read the entire article here. Note the similarity between the Ibejis and the abiku twins permeating Twins Seven Seven’s painting.
Although the Abiku children in the painting by Twins Seven Seven may seem sad, in Yoruba beliefs Abiku are dangerous and malevolent. The great Nigerian writer Wole Soyinka has written a powerful poem called “Abiku.” As would be expected, such a powerful image recurs often in literature: see Debo Kotun’s novel Abiku and Ben Okri’s The Famished Road. Toni Morrison uses the image of abiku and its cousin spirit ogbanje in Beloved and other writings.
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According to the biography of El Anatsui:
Born in 1944, in the Ewe-speaking area of Ghana, El Anatsui, is today recognised as one of the foremost contemporary artists of his generation. Taking the broad spectrum of indigenous African cultures as an extended canvas, his central themes concern the erosion of these inherited traditions by powerful external forces and the manner of their survival and transmission into the present. His deftly-organised and sophisticated work represents an original synthesis of the many diverse histories of African art with more modern influences picked out from the prevailing paradigm of contemporary western art. In 2007 El Anatsui exhibited at the 52nd Venice Biennale with a site-specific installation. He transformed one of Venices most celebrated Gothic landmarks, wrapping the fa�ade of the Palazzo Fortuny in a vast metal cloth woven from thousands of glimmering bottle caps.
Elsewhere: “A number of themes recur in Anatsui’s art. One is the destruction and reconstitution of materials as metaphors for life, experience, and changes in Africa under colonialism and since independence. A second theme is associated with textiles and traditional African crafts. After he had created several wall panels from strips of wood, Anatsui realized that they resembled West African strip-woven cloth. His concern over Western scholars’ misinterpretation of African history and the distortions it has caused forms a third theme. “
See several examples of his work here.
This short video about the installation of “Duvor” at IMA reveals interesting aspects of El Anatsui’s thinking about art and its display.
The use of discarded material is an important theme for Africa, which becomes the dumping ground for mu of the Western world’s unwanted trash. These images are not uncommon:
It is El Anatsui’s gift to recycle waste into art. But he isn’t alone in doing so, and even has an Indianapolis counterpart. Local artist Bill Ryder transforms the trash and scrap from his neighborhood into scultures of jazz legends. From his NUVO Cultural Vision Award:
Along with a world-class football team and motor speedway, Indianapolis is endowed with a world-class sculptor and artist in Bill Ryder. Ryder is an artist and grass-roots activist whose approach to art sets an example for the whole community. He has chosen to live in a stressed urban neighborhood in an attempt to revitalize it from within. Sweeping the sidewalk when young kids embark on the school bus is above all a daily ritual designed to instill pride and dignity and promote a solid work ethic. And he has spared no effort to expose neighborhood youth to art, hoping it will turn into a collective healing experience.
Few of us will ever gain the type of independence achieved by Bill Ryder. Truly a �self-made� man, Ryder has established a lifestyle for himself where he is in control of his destiny. As an artist he controls all aspects of his trade, from the mining of the raw materials for his exquisite �found object� sculptures to the gallery where his work is displayed. His studio, near the corner of 34th and Clifton, is where he lives, creates and exhibits his artwork.
�I try to work the weather,� he said in a recent interview. While most of us are challenged to keep pace with a calendar, e-mail, snail mail, cell phone, Blackberry, etc., Ryder has managed to free himself from constraints imposed by man and takes on the opportunities and challenges provided by the forces of nature, experiencing life on a slightly different plane. He accomplishes this with integrity and has not lost touch with his creative muse.
Much of his work is inspired by jazz, which Ryder describes as a salve that coated his body and helped to relieve the pain inflicted by the racism he experienced throughout his life. His many tributes to the likes of John Coltrane and Charlie Parker as well as �The Unknown Blues Singer� emphasize the unique contribution of African-Americans to the culture of this nation. Ryder�s deliberate decision to produce large-scale pieces can be understood as a search for ethnic visibility and recognition. If his entire life has been a struggle to overcome social prejudices, no wonder his work depicts this important dimension of the black experience.
Ryder�s technique fits into an aesthetic of recycling. One could claim that his interest in found objects originated out of scarcity. The true reason is of a spiritual nature. Such a method is both a ferocious critique of our consumer society and a strong environmental statement � �dead� objects are reincarnated into art while this �scavenger� attitude calls for a change in our worldview.
Bill Ryder�s art depicts a philosophy in action, a true art of living.
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More Information about the Songye and their Community Power Figures
There are now about 150,000 members of the Songye tribe living in Congo.
You can read about the Songye here, and here, and here. They are most renowned for their masks and sculptures. Some examples can be found here.
Community power figures such as the one in the IMA’s collection are particularly important.
Songye community’s most influential leaders, including lineage chiefs and other distinguished elders, come together to commission a sculptural work�a power figure�that will collectively benefit its members. The role that such works, mankishi (singular, nkishi), subsequently play is so central to collective experience that they become the principal marker against which life unfolds. Mankishi enhance the overall quality of life by assuring that universally shared concerns, such as procreation, protection against illness, witchcraft, and war, are addressed through divine intervention.1
Along with allocating the necessary resources for an nkishi’s acquisition and selecting the ritual specialist (nganga) who will design and empower it, the elders appoint a guardian who will act as its interpreter. The nkishi imparts information relevant to the community’s welfare to that individual in the form of prophetic dreams. In times of extreme crisis, such as an epidemic, the nkishi might be carried outside the village into the bush, where it would indicate specific plant ingredients to be prepared and administered as a remedy.2
The sculptural form of a community nkishi may be designed by a regionally renowned carver, but its essential qualities are determined by an nganga. Such works are objects of symbolic interaction between the nganga and the ancestral realm.3 In Songye cosmology, spirits of the dead are perceived to beneficially or adversely affect harvests, health, and women’s fertility. The nganga is endowed with the mystical knowledge necessary to make “medicines” (bishimba) that invoke the spirit world by sparking a catalytic reaction. These “medicines” are associated with awesome power and strength, and thus draw upon matter such as the bones, flesh, fur, or claws of physically powerful and aggressive animals selected for their metaphoric associations with force. Bits of hair and nails taken from members of the community are included as a means of particularizing a work’s relationship to its constituency�that is, the entire community. The unique combination of ingredients contained in a bishimba’s sacred formula ultimately determines a work’s potential to spiritually fortify its patrons.4 Effective mankishi become the site for ancestral spirits to communicate their insight and project their influence.
During the creation of its nkishi, members of a community are engaged in the process and attentively follow it as it unfolds. As the primary author, the nganga oversees its execution and directs their participation. The ancestors are invoked over the course of a procession from the village to the site of the tree from which the sculpture will be carved. Dances and songs of tribute pay homage to the ancestors while the tree is cut down. Once the carving is completed, the most important phase of execution occurs at night as the nganga visually and metaphysically transforms the figure by inserting its crucial bishimba within cavities in the head and abdomen and attaching external paraphernalia. To attract the ancestors’ attention to the work, all fires are extinguished except for one near the figure, and sacrificial offerings are made.5
Ultimately, the composition of an nkishi not only incorporates intimate particulate matter belonging to its patrons but has the outward appearance of an idealized portrait of a leader. The physiognomy and regalia of a community nkishi emphasize the influential character of its subject, conveying a degree of physical strength and social rank commensurate with the spiritual power it commands.6
External features include additions of chiefly regalia, such as the strands of white and blue beads wrapped around the neck and the animal hide and raffia skirt below the waist. Pelts of various kinds of animals that project strength, dominance, and authority may be selected, and their names (or those of chiefs) are appropriate choices for the titles assigned to such works.7 Though relatively small, this especially refined sculpture seems to project a monumental stature, accentuated by the pedestal-like base that is an integral part of its design. The broad, rounded forehead suggests omniscience. The head narrows toward the base of the chin, which extends into a long rectangular beard, an attribute of leadership. Large, almond-shaped eyes, made more prominent by raised, arched eyebrows, suggest a contemplative and inward-looking expression. The finely articulated facial features are accentuated with copper bands, punctuated by metal tacks, extending vertically from the forehead to the tip of the nose and diagonally across each cheek. This metal appliqu� refers to forces such as lightning, which the nkishi can counteract and redirect to benefit its constituents. Diminutive hands rest on either side of the pronounced abdomen, a sign of fertility and the cyclical nature of life, which relates a community’s ancestors to its unborn members.
The efficacy of an individual nkishi is regarded as finite, and therefore it must eventually be replaced. When this happens, however, it continues to be remembered for specific feats attributed to it and becomes a quintessential point of reference for entire chapters of a community’s history
An excellent question to ponder is what equivalents nkishi we have in Indianapolis or the US.
