BERNARD DE GRUNNE Tribal Fine Arts presents Ancient Mande Treasures: Genesis of Art in Mali Exhibition from 8-­‐12 June 2016 Under BRUNEAF aegis at Ancienne Nonciature -­‐ Grand Sablon – Brussels On the occasion of its 28th edition, BRUNEAF will partner with Bernard de Grunne to curate a major exhibition of 27 exceptional objects from the ancient cultures of the middle Niger in Mali. For the first time since 1990, a remarkable group of 16 ancient terracotta figures from Djenné-­‐Jeno and 2 remarkable bronze statuettes from the same culture will dialogue with 9 wooden figures dating from the 10th to the 15th century and carved by various Soninke artists. The aim of such an exhibition is to show the fascinating time depth of the ancient cultures of medieval Mali. More info on www.bernarddegrunne.com and www.bruneaf.com Origins of the Mande oikumene The Mande oikumene is a conceptual framework as strong and diverse as the original Greek meaning of a “civilized” world and whose centre of gravity can be said to be in Mali. Among the peaks of the artistic achievements which flourished from the Mande world, we have the “Sudanese” architectural style – a fusion of Islamic architecture with the imagery and iconography of ancestral pillars, altars and shrines, the highly valued body of oral literature narrated by professional poets and bards, the artistic flourishing of two remarkable artistic styles, one in clay and one in wood, created by Mande blacksmiths as great achievements emerging from the Mande oikumene. The Djenné-­‐Jeno Terracotta, The Soninke Wooden and Bronze Statuary from Mali The Inland Niger Delta region in Mali played a crucial role in the ancient Art History of West Africa. Earth found in the Inland Niger Delta is famous for its quality. It is the medium used for two of the most spectacular art styles of West Africa. The Islamic city of Jenne represents the quintessence of the widespread Sudanese architectural style in earth. Clay is also the medium of the ancient statuary of the Inland Niger Delta, one of the most elegant, sophisticated and ancient art styles of Africa. The ancient terracotta Djenné-­‐jeno statuary from the Inland Niger Delta emerged in the early second millennium A.D. It is made of a remarkable variety of human figurines represented in sixty-­‐six different sacred postures, making it the single richest source on religious gestures in Africa. Another extremely sophisticated and ancient Mande-­‐originated artistic tradition is that all the Soninke statues in wood dating from circa A.D. 1000 to A.D. 1450. More research of these Mande-­‐originated Soninke styles will allow us to better understand the art history of many Mande-­‐related art styles in West Africa. The existence of the ancient corpus of wooden, bronze and terracotta statuary from the Bandiagara Cliff and the Inland Niger Delta forces us to re-­‐evaluate the notion of art styles invented independently and may provide new and unexpected connections between different regions and their art forms in West Africa. Disease and Serpent Imagery The vast majority of the figurative corpus includes primarily terra cotta figures, as well as some related wood and metal sculpture. Two of the most important iconographic tropes to emerge within the figurative corpus from the IND were illness and serpents. This observation was particularly interesting when compared to the simultaneous and related wooden and metal corpuses where illness is almost nonexistent and serpents, rare and it coincided in a meaningful way with an insight gleaned through fieldwork. Within that group is a “sick” corpus comprised of 225 figures (or 42% of the sample) that have visible symptoms of illness, which the most represented in this corpus are pustules covering the entire body, undoubtedly smallpox, an infectious and highly contagious disease caused by the variola virus. In these oral histories, illness was framed as a spiritual test and overcoming it, a mark of spiritual power for both the afflicted and their healers. Such beliefs persist into the present. Note for the Editor: Press contact: Julie Mottier -­‐ +32 484 263 816 [email protected] Bernard de Grunne -­‐ Tribal Fine Arts Avenue Franklin Roosevelt 180 1050 Brussels -­‐ Belgium www.bernardegrunne.com Follow us: