Episodes

Corporal fusion and dissociation among the Lobi of Burkina Faso

The Lobi, an ethnic group of Burkina Faso, are characterized by a stable and well-developed social structure whose principal religious and esthetic manifestation is through the creation of extremely expressive sculptures that incorporate the spirits of their ancestors and the historical memory of their people. A rare double statue, analyzed here, resorts to a form of expression common to many ancient cultures and represents the fusion of different personages, but also achieves a level of intensity in its expression and psychological tension that is rarely observed in the arts of primordial cultures.



Corporal fusion and dissociation among the Lobi of Burkina Faso (PDF, 385 KB, in Portuguese)