Senufo: Art and Identity in West Africa

Through a stunning selection of objects in diverse styles and mediums, Senufo: Art and Identity in West Africa introduces visitors to the Poro and Sandogo societies, the primary settings for the production and use of works of art in the Senufo-speaking region of northern Côte d’Ivoire. Drawing on recent research in Mali and Burkina Faso, the exhibition also includes sculptures not usually attributed to Senufo-speaking artists or patrons, thus shattering the boundaries of the corpus typically identified as Senufo. Featuring nearly 160 loans from museums and private collections in Europe, Canada, and the United States, the exhibition now on view at the Cleveland Museum of Art examines the shifting meanings of the term 'Senufo' since the late nineteenth century and investigates assumptions underlying the labeling of art as Senufo. 

View the exhibition's official website.

Bois sacré

On March 4, the Musée du Quai Branly will open Bois sacré - Initiation dans les forêts guinéennes (Sacred Wood. Initiation in the Guinean Forests). On the African continent, the initiation ceremony marks a mandatory rite of passage for each individual. Bois sacré examines in the secret societies that govern and carry out such ceremonies as they exist in the Guinean forests, in Liberia, Guinea, and Ivory Coast. The installation will be open through May 18, 2014.

Images courtesy of the Musée du Quai Branly