Agents of Power: Body Adornment in African Art Exhibition.
Feb. 3 – July 7, 2024
San Diego Museum of Ar, California USA
Body adornment amongst African peoples is rich and diverse, an essential aspect of cultural expression, identity, and heritage. Across the continent, different cultures use body art to communicate creativity and cultural identity through performance, sculpture, beadwork, and print form. Such elements collectively illustrate each group’s social status, spiritual support, military strength, and individual cultural aesthetic.
Through a selection of works from the Mesa College World Art Collection and The San Diego Museum of Art, this exhibition examines Maasai, Chokwe, Zulu, and Xhosa art representing the body or meant to be worn on it as an agent of power.
Details can be found here.
Image: Chihongo mask. Chokwe peoples, Angola and Democratic Republic of the Congo, 20th century. Wood, fiber, white pigment. On loan from the San Diego Mesa College World Art Collection.