Art and Spirits of Mali

Pace African and Oceanic Art presents Art and Spirits of Mali. This exhibition features over 30 sculptures in wood, bronze and iron produced by the Dogon and the Bamana people of Mali, two of the richest and oldest artistic traditions of West Africa.

Highlights of our exhibition include: 4 rare Bamana power objects known as boli; a selection of bronzes from the Arnold Syrop collection; a variety of Dogon and Bamana masks; a Dogon Female Standing Figure previouxly exhibited at Musée du quai Branly; and an abstract Bamana headdress, chi wara from the Vérité collection.

Community in Mali is formed by interactions between humans and other living entities. Spirits are ubiquitous, dwelling in trees, hiding in rock formations, caves, holes, water, and empty stretches of savanna in between villages. As the existing literature suggests, village organizations functioned as regulators and protectors of the community and as intermediaries between the temporal and spiritual worlds.

Altars, statues, masks and implements imbued with spiritual power were commissioned for the ritual and religious activities of such organizations. Some of these objects were openly displayed or danced, some were to be placed in shrines, while others were kept secret and consulted privately.