John Goba
Born in 1944, Mattru Jong, Sierra Leone
Lives and works in Freetown, Sierra Leone
Of Mende origin, John Goba was born into the hermetic milieu of women's Bondo Society, in which his grandmother played an important role. Goba
came of age under her protection, and at the end of his period of initiation, he settled in Mountain Cut, a district in Freetown. There, when he was
about thirty, he experienced a revelation that prompted him to begin making masks for the Ode-lay initiation rituals and masquerades that had sprung
up in Freetown in the 1970s. Ode-lay masks and dress are characterized by an extraordinary ornamental exuberance, incorporating unexpected
materials (such as Christmas tree ornaments) to achieve spectacular effects. Goba's first masks, made of wood and brightly coloured with industrial
paint, initially followed Ode-lay customs. As he became more experienced, he began to create sculptures with greater freedom.
Goba's imagery is inspired by the traditional lore and mysteries of his environment and his sculptures are a skilful blend of figures borrowed from
time-honoured tales and his own fantasies. A multitude of porcupine quills invariably protrude from the main characters of his tableaux, as if assuring
their protection and forbidding any access to the heart -or secret core- of the work. Each sculpture, Goba likes to say, has its own private history to
which only the artist has the key.
GOUP EXHIBITIONS
2017
"Art / Afrique : le nouvel atelier." : "The Insiders", a selection of works (1989 to 2009) from the Jean Pigozzi collection of African art, Fondation Louis
Vuitton, Paris, France
Gaia à travers ses miroirs, Villa des Arts, Rabbat, Maroc (for the event L'Afrique en Capitale)
2016
Essentiel Paysage, Al Maaden Art Gallery, Contemporary African Art Center, Marrakech, Morocco
2015
Lumières d'Afrique, Théâtre de Chaillot, Paris, France
2014
FIAC - OFFICIELLE, Paris, France
1:54 Contemporary African Art Fair, London, England
2013
Art Paris Art Fair, Paris, France
2012
Africa / Africa, Centre d'art contemporain, Meymac, France
2010
African Stories, Ancienne Banque du Maroc, Marrakech, Morocco
2006
100% Africa, Guggenheim Museum, Bilbao, Spain
2005
Arts of Africa, Grimaldi Forum, Monaco
African Art Now : Masterpieces from the Jean Pigozzi Collection, Museum of Fine Art Houston, Houston, USA
2003
Magic Markers: Objects of Transformation, Des Moines Art Center, Des Moines, Iowa, USA
2001
« Anima Tribale, Corpo Metropolitano: Arte africana contemporanea/Tribal Soul. »
Metropolitan Body: Contemporary African art. Galleria Spazia, Bologna, Italy
Venice Biennal, Italy
2000
Lyon 5th Biennal of Contemporary Art, Lyon, France
1998-1999
7éme Triennale der Kleinplastik, Zeitgenössische Skulptur. SüdwestLB Forum. Stuttgart, Germany
1993
La Grande Vérité, Les Astres Africains, Fine Arts Museum, Nantes , France
1992
Out of Africa, Saatchi Collection, London, England
MAGNIN-A 107 bd Richard Lenoir 75011 Paris
T. +33 1 43 38 13 00 / + 33 9 51 46 15 - [email protected] - www.magnin-a.com
1991
Africa Explore, The Center for African Art, New York, USA
Collections
PRIVATE COLLECTIONS
Collection Fondation Alliance, Marrakech, Maroc
MAGNIN-A 107 bd Richard Lenoir 75011 Paris
T. +33 1 43 38 13 00 / + 33 9 51 46 15 - [email protected] - www.magnin-a.com