The discovery of the individual
The discovery of the individual was the title of a bilingual (German and English) special exhibition with African works of art in the museum of the municipal collections in the armory in Lutherstadt Wittenberg in 2016/17.
Subject of the exhibition
The subject of the exhibition was the Lobi ethnic group in West Africa. In addition to a representation of their historical and current way of life, their characteristic sculptures were presented as works of art. The central theme, however, was the individuality of the Lobi artists. In particular, references were made to the increasing importance of the artist's individuality since the early modern period (the time of Martin Luther ), which since then can be regarded as decisive for Western art as a whole. The circle of evaluating African art through the aesthetics of Classical Modernism and focusing on the provenance of the collector as a substitute for the anonymous artist came full circle in this reading with the discovery of the indigenous artist's individuality. Conversely, it was determined how much the understanding of contemporary Western art depends on the intentionality of its creation, which in turn is linked to the ethnological emphasis on the cultural contexts of non-European works of art. In this respect, the exhibition made a contribution to the reception of non-European works of art in contemporary western museums. The exhibition comprised 120 sculptures of various sizes on 150 square meters.
backgrounds
All exhibits came from the private collection of the Berlin architect Rainer Greschik , from which the subtitle “Sculptures of the West African Lobi from the Greschik Collection” was derived. In cooperation with the municipal collections in Lutherstadt Wittenberg, the ethnologist Nils Seethaler developed the concept of the exhibition together with the lender and supported by the Friends of the Julius Riemer Collection . The basis of the presentation of African objects in Lutherstadt Wittenberg is the museum tradition of ethnological collections initiated by the glove manufacturer, collector and patron Julius Riemer from Berlin . The special exhibition expressly represented a step on the way to redesigning the temporarily stored Julius Riemer collection. The extensive donation of Lobi objects by the collector Rainer Greschik to the city following the exhibition also fits into this tradition . The urban inventory was thus significantly expanded by an ethnic group that is hardly represented in the Julius Riemer collection. Thus, the reputation of Lutherstadt Wittenberg as the center for the reception of African art in Saxony-Anhalt was renewed. Due to the national and international interest, the exhibition was extended until 2017.
Ethnological context
A feature of the Lobi culture is its acephalous social structure with no overriding rulers or leaders. The largest social unit is your own hamlet. This individuality is thus also expressed in the way of settlement and in the individualistic sculpture of the Lobi. The variety of these sculptures in terms of size, style, gestures and cultic patina suggest a cosmos of cultural contexts. In the traditional beliefs of the Lobi there are different classes of supernatural beings. In addition to benevolent and punishing gods as creators, there are also mediators between them and humans. It is these beings, known as thila , who are represented in the majority of the sculptures and are displayed in special rooms in the houses. In doing so, visitors to the exhibition gained fundamental insights into how humans deal with creation and the powers presumed behind it. References, for example, to the veneration of saints as mediators or to the popular religious conception of guardian angels became tangible. In the exhibition, the aesthetics of the sculptures thus served as a didactic medium to convey these complex cultural backgrounds.
literature
- Rainer Greschik / Nils Seethaler (preface): Lobi. West African sculptures from the Greschik collection. Published on the occasion of the exhibition “The Discovery of the Individual” in Lutherstadt Wittenberg, 2016.
- Stephan Herkenhoff / Petra Herkenhoff: Carver of the Lobi, 2013.
Web links
Individual evidence
- ↑ https://www.mz-web.de/wittenberg/zeughaus--berliner-blas-erstmals-seltene-holzfiguren-von-westafrikanischem-volk--24366596
- ↑ Stephan Herkenhoff / Petra Herkenhoff: Schnitzer der Lobi, 2013.
- ↑ http://www.mz-web.de/wittenberg/eroeffnung-in-wittenberg-faszination-afrika-24394200
- ^ Nils Seethaler: The Greschik Collection. In: Lobi. West African sculptures from the Greschik collection. Published on the occasion of the exhibition “The Discovery of the Individual” in Lutherstadt Wittenberg, 2016: 6f.
- ↑ http://www.mz-web.de/wittenberg/ausstellung-im-zeughaus-lobi-bleiben-in-wittenberg-25393402
- ↑ https://www.about-africa.de/auktion-messe-galerie-ausstellung/722-ausstellung-die-entdeck-des-individuums-ueber-die-lobi-in-wittenberg
- ↑ Hans Himmelträger: Figures and Carving Technique with the Lobi, Ivory Coast. In: Tribus, No. 15, 1966; P. 70ff.
- ↑ Klaus Schneider : Crafts and material culture of the Lobi in Burkina Faso. Studies on cultural studies. 1990.
- ↑ https://www.wochenspiegel-web.de/wisl_scms/_wochenspiegel/7459/Wittenberg/50313/Lobi_ist_drei_Monate_zu_Gast_im_Zeughaus.html ( page no longer available , search in web archives ) Info: The link was automatically marked as defective. Please check the link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.
