Standing male figure "blolo bian" · Côte d'Ivoire, Baule · ID: 3040077
Bonhams, New York, The Gelbard Collection of African Art, 13 November 2007, lot 2527
Témoin, Geneva, Switzerland
Description
wood, blackish brown patina, richly adorned with raised skin scarification marks (above all on back and neck), fine carved coiffure and chin beard, rising from a high base with herringbone pattern, slightly dam., cracks (backside), base;
in addition to the realms of the village (culture) and the bush (nature), the Baule also believe in a far-off place that they call “blolo”. It is a place “which exists beyond sensory experience”. The Other World is thought of as an ideal world, a place of exaggerated perfection. The “blolo” is inhabited by human spirits. It is the place from which comes the spirit of a newborn and the place to which a person’s spirit returns to death. It is also a place where each person has a partner of the opposite sex. A woman has an “Other World man” - “blolo bian” - , a man has an “Other World woman” - " blolo bla". With the help of fortunetellers, these “blolo” figurines can intervene in difficult situations or in crises in relationships. Such sculptures are especially useful for cases of childlessness. The infertile spouse spends several nights with a specially made figurine in order to conceive with the other spouse in a dream state. Offerings also encourage these “loved ones from the other world” to become active.
Publications
Bourgeois, Arthur & Scott Rodolitz, Remnants of Ritual, New+ York 2003, p. 13, ill. 28AHDRC: 0059098
Exhibition
Remnants of Ritual, Selections from the Gelbard Collection of African Art - University Park, IL: Governors State University, February 2003 - Krannert, IL: Krannert Art Museum, 26 August-26 October, 2003 - Kansas City, MO: Belger Art Foundation/University of Missouri-Kansas City, 2004 - Park Forest, IL: Tall Grass Art Association, 2005