Metro Pulse/Artbeat/Celebrating African Art

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What:
The World Moves, We Follow

Where:
Frank H. McClung Museum, 1327 Circle Park Drive

When:
Saturday, Jan. 11 through May 18. Call 974-2144 for information or go to their site. Admission and permit parking are free.

Illuminating the so-called Dark Continent (part one of two)

by Heather Joyner

Illuminating the so-called Dark Continent (part one of two) by Heather Joyner

At the mention of African art, many of us think of carved wood fertility statues or tribal masks. However, that vast continent's art is remarkably varied, and includes textiles, contemporary painting, weapons, pottery, and furniture. What, then, unites approximately 100 objects from different time periods in the McClung Museum's upcoming exhibit called The World Moves, We Follow (titled after a Yoruba proverb). According to art historian dele jegede of Indiana State University (whose name is not capitalized), African art is "total art...it is poetry, performance, and visual art rolled into one." If so, what can isolated objects tell us when displayed in a gallery setting?

Part of the university's "Africa Semester," the exhibit, curated by UT art history professor Dr. William Dewe, serves as centerpiece for numerous music and dance performances, lectures, a play, a conference, and a film series. In an accompanying catalog, dele jegede states, "...we must bear in mind that every piece is but an abbreviated part of an original whole.... [M]any artworks originated in cultural contexts that placed primacy on their spiritual efficacy...an object is considered 'beautiful' from an African perspective in the extent that it is successful in achieving its spiritual purpose."

Both UT's Dr. Rosalind Hackett and dele jegede have contributed essays to Dewey's catalog, with African religion expert Hackett adding that African art "is intended to do something" and be active rather than representational. Although objects at the McClung can be enjoyed from a strictly visual perspective, the viewing experience is enriched when we understand the purposes of such works. Other events scheduled throughout the semester might teach more about the societies from which those works have emerged. Featured art is further clarified through division into themes addressing "leadership and status," "death and the ancestors," "utility and the art of living," "transitions and dealing with adversity," and "connecting with the world."

Says McClung Museum Director Dr. Jefferson Chapman, "Dr. Dewey has managed to collect extremely important pieces from top museums and put them together in a meaningful, educational, and beautiful manner." Whether on loan from the Art Institute of Chicago, the Smithsonian, private collections, or elsewhere, artworks produced in Madagascar and central Africa as well as in northern, eastern, southern, and western regions are certain to interest a range of museum goers.

As for pieces displayed in the McClung show, the first word that comes to mind is "power." Beyond their frequent association with authority figures or royalty, many are believed to possess the power to heal, protect, connect, or transform. Yet, as Hackett points out, it's important to realize the difference between "actual" and "representational" power. She writes that scholarly analysis of African art "has failed to explore the complexity of the perceived relationship between spirit forces and material hosts....created objects are rarely held to embody spiritual power in their own right—rather they must be activated in some way." In other words, they are sophisticated visual symbols for existing energies individuals wish to harness—not mere "magic" objects without philosophical references.

Hackett goes on to say that the process of making art "may be as important, if not more important, than the final product. African artists are commonly believed to have special character and status because their creative talents put them close to the spirit world." Also, aesthetic alterations by those who later obtain such objects represent a continuation of the creative process that links human beings and reflects African art's emphasis on community. Furthermore, that community is inclusive. Hackett refers to a study that suggests that "the closer the relationship with the spiritual realm, the more secretive objects and events become, and the greater is the role of women."

Whatever our level of knowledge concerning African art, we're presented with an astonishing selection of pieces. An early 20th-century beaded stool from Cameroon is carved from a single piece of wood and features a leopard figure as the support. The abundant glass beads indicate the stool's use by richer members of Bamileke society. Another symbol of legitimization from the same time period is a royal spear from the Democratic Republic of the Congo (formerly Zaire). Also beaded, it incorporates the elegant figure of a woman and alludes to women's political significance in the Luba kingdom.

Even items as ordinary as baskets or pots are exciting when seen in The World Moves, We Follow. For instance, a Tutsi coiled fiber basket—an "agaseki" or "ibeseke"—from Rwanda is painstakingly constructed, with distinctive markings and a conical lid. An egg-shaped wood container from the late 19th century, carved by northern Nguni people of South Africa, perches on three legs and has an incised zigzag surface. Some pots are identifiable as being crafted by certain masters (like Nigerian Abatan Ija's vessel with head, breasts, and hands, created to contain stones for Eyinle, a river deity).

Examples of artforms more familiar to Westerners, like masks, figurines, and Kente cloth from Ghana—now a symbol of African American identity and pride—are nonetheless fascinating. A Dogon face mask from Mali celebrates women either born during a "sigui" ceremony or demonstrating spirit possession (regardless of time of birth). Made of wood and rawhide, it is topped by a figure with outstretched arms. Another mask from the Chokwe people of Angola and Zambia features a character called "Chikunza," associated with boys' circumcision rites. Named for a particularly procreative grasshopper, Chikunza also serves as a protective spirit for hunters and pregnant women.

Art reflecting modern-day Africa's interaction with the rest of the world may well be the most intriguing work presented (and as such, shall be addressed in a later column). Referring to a remark made by Nobel prize-winning author Wole Soyinka—in which Soyinka likens himself to a tiger—Dewey says, "I do believe that with some understanding of the background and context of African art, its intellectual and aesthetic beauty will not need to proclaim itself, it will just pounce upon you." For the first time in East Tennessee, an extensive African art exhibit gives us many opportunities for discovery.