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.