Pieces like this really make me think about what it is to look at art. As much as I can appreciate the artistry on display in these pieces, I can't help but feel strange looking at them. All of these pieces have a very distinct mytho-religious purpose, and, although a blank background is good for noticing their features, the meaning behind them is watered down, if not lost entirely. The first is a Phemba, a maternity figure, while the third is a Nkisi-Nkondi, a sculpture intended for a more magical purpose. To me, looking at pieces like this makes me think about the way museums work as an institution. What's art without proper context?
Hey, I've been meaning to get my work out there as best as I can and, in order to do that, I made a little document filled with three poems and three short stories, in varying stages of completion. Enjoy!
Pages from the Codex Borobonicus, quite possibly the only remaining Aztec codex from before the Spanish Conquest.