Categories
Contemporary

“Chambers of Memory”, an early work by El Anatsui inspired by a 2000 year old Nok terracotta head

El Anatsui – “Chambers of Memory”, 1977. Ceramics, manganese. 40 × 26 cm. Collection of the artist, Nsukka, Nigeria. © El Anatsui. Courtesy of the artist.

Among the first works El Anatsui created after moving from Ghana to Nsukka, Nigeria, was the above “Chambers of Memory” (1977). Aficionados of traditional African terracotta works of art surely immediately recognise a strong influence from the famed Nok heads. Indeed, with the typical facial features and its large bald forehead, El Anatsui fashioned this sculpture to resemble a terra-cotta head from Nigeria’s Nok culture. Arriving in Nigeria in 1975 to teach at the University of Nsukka, he had started to immerse himself in local styles and became fascinated by Nigeria’s national museums and archeological sites. The art of the so-called Nok, the only remnant of the civilisation that created these works, became a strong influence on his early work. The genius of the artist came into play with the creation of the empty chambers on the inside of the head, visible at the back (see below). The interior divisions he created allude to the sites of memory archived in man’s mind. With its empty chambers, the work in that way can be seen as a reflection on collective memory and humanity’s inability to learn from its mistakes. After all, we are for example still clueless what happened with the Nok civilisation, a culture so forgotten we don’t even remember its real name. I like how the artist, inspired by this specific case, made this universal and timeless message. And, also for collectors of classical African art, it does add a new layer of meaning when admiring traditional African terracotta sculptures.

Long before he would get famous with his hanging metal tapestries, El Anatsui thus was already pushing boundaries as an artist. If you are not familiar with his work, please read the brilliant article The New Yorker recently published about him here.

© El Anatsui. Courtesy of the artist.
Categories
Research

Field-photo of the day: a Nigerian farmer with an interesting moustache

Nigerian farmer, photographed by Fagg in 1960. Published in: Fagg (B.), “Nok terracottas”, Lagos, 1977: p. 27, fig. 21.
Nigerian farmer, photographed by Fagg in 1960. Published in: Fagg (B.), “Nok terracottas”, Lagos, 1977: p. 27, fig. 21.

I recently came across the above field-photo of a Nigerian farmer taken by the British archeologist Bernard Fagg in 1960. His incentive to photograph this man is rather interesting. Fagg must immediately noticed that the farmer’s moustache, represented by two small projecting tufts at the edges of the upper lip, in fact is a typical feature of many male terracotta “Nok” heads he had previously discovered in the region – see an example below.

The Nok culture, which blossomed from 900 B.C. to A.D. 200, is sub-Sarahan Africa’s earliest known sculptural tradition. Unfortunately, little is understood about how this civilization ended. Bernard Fagg wrestled his whole career with two important questions: Where did the Nok culture come from ? And where did it go? Spotting this farmer’s moustache must have certainly gave him hope in his wish to establish a stylistic continuum between Nok and the later Nigerian civilizations.

Nok head (Nigeria). Height: 15,5 cm. Ex Collection Musée Barbier-Mueller. Image courtesy of the Musée du quai Branly (73.1996.1.1).
Nok head (Nigeria). Height: 15,5 cm. Ex Collection Musée Barbier-Mueller. Image courtesy of the Musée du quai Branly (73.1996.1.1).
Categories
News Publications

Book tip: “Nok – African Sculpture in Archaeological Context”

Nok. African Sculpture in Archaeological Context Goethe University Nigiera

One year ago, I wrote about the exhibition Nok. Origin of African Sculpture  at the Liebieghaus Skulpturensammlung in Frankfurt. The accompanying book presented the discoveries of a team of archaeologists from the Goethe University (Frankfurt/Main), who have been researching the Nok culture in situ since 2005 – unfortunately it was only published in German. A reader just informed me that the catalogue now has been translated into English (available here). In case you’re interested in the terracotta figures from the Nok this is a must read. 

Image courtesy of the Goethe University Frankfurt.
Image courtesy of the Goethe University Frankfurt.
Categories
Exhibtions

“Nok. Origin of African Sculpture” at the Liebieghaus, Frankfurt am Main

Nok. Ein Ursprung afrikanischer Skulptur

With its exhibition Nok. Origin of African Sculpture, running from 30 October 2013 to 23 February 2014, the Liebieghaus Skulpturensammlung presents over one hundred sculptures and fragments excavated in Nok territory by the archaeologists of Frankfurt’s Goethe University. They will be displayed in a dialogue with objects from Ancient Egypt and Greek-Roman Antiquity from the collections of the Liebieghaus. More info here and here. A comprehensive catalogue will be published by Africa Magna Verlag to accompany the exhibition (c. 292 pages, c. 170 color and 55 black-and-white illustrations as well as 51 plates).

I am very curious about the research results of this long-term (8 years to be exact) excavation project of Frankfurt’s Goethe University. Besides the very few scientific studies after Fagg’s pioneering efforts (Fagg 1972, Jemkur 1992, Tylecote 1975), it are the first seriously documented excavations ever. Peter Breuning’s article in the autumn 2012 issue of Tribal Art Magazine definitely awakened my interest. It, for example, clearly stated that not one of the excavated terracotta figures was found intact – quite a contrast with what one tends to encounter in galleries.

Excavation of a landfill and recovery of large parts of sculptures of the Nok culture. Photo courtesy of Goethe University Frankfurt.
Excavation of a landfill and recovery of large parts of sculptures of the Nok culture. Photo courtesy of Goethe University Frankfurt.
Nok sculpture - Fragment of a human torso, Terracotta, 1000 BC Reference Dogon Daji in Nigeria, excavation in 2011. Photo courtesy of Goethe University Frankfurt.
Nok sculpture – Fragment of a human torso, Terracotta, 1000 BC. Dogon Daji in Nigeria, excavation in 2011. Photo courtesy of Goethe University Frankfurt.
Illegal excavation site. Looters ransacked the ground after Nok sculptures. Such sites are easy to find because the holes are not filled. Photo courtesy of Goethe University Frankfurt.
Illegal excavation site. Looters ransacked the ground after Nok sculptures. Such sites are easy to find because the holes are not filled. Photo courtesy of Goethe University Frankfurt.
Categories
Objects Research

The Jemaa Nok head

Found in the Tsauni mine at Jemaa, about 25 miles north-east of Nok. (Image courtesy of the The National Commission for Museums and Monuments, Lagos, Nigeria)
Found in the Tsauni mine at Jemaa, about 25 miles north-east of Nok. (Image courtesy of the The National Commission for Museums and Monuments, Lagos, Nigeria)

An interesting short documentary about the famous Jemaa head and a informative general introduction to the art of the so-called Nok culture: