MOTHERHOODS
ART GALLERY L'OEIL ET LA MAIN
41 RUE DE VERNEUIL 75007 PARIS
EXHIBITION FROM THE 4TH OF JUNE TO THE 30TH OF SEPTEMBER 2009
WWW.AFRICAN-PARIS.COM
The image of the mother carrying her child is very present in Westerner imaginary, reflecting the importance of the woman not only in her wife role, but also as a mother. In addition to their social and economic importance, the African mothers also have a quasi-magic capacity. The birth is indeed regarded as a godsend, because this is the child who later will take care of his/her parents, become old, and will work for them as they worked for him. Moreover, in many cultures, the woman is often a priestess specialist in the rites and a person in charge of the worship, and many spirits are female ones. This fact partly explains the importance of the female image in the African sculpture. Although a child is raised by the members of the family extended, the link between him/her and his/her mother remains very strong, especially at the period of early childhood, the carved works presented at the time of this exhibition are a proof of that fact. Motherhood represents the female principle par excellence. But are african motherhoods statues of mother with child or statues of mother and child? Which are the relationships between the mother and the child in a sculpture of motherhood? Very often mother and child do not set up a
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