Perhaps fittingly, the last object in the African section is not a traditional tribal artifact but a contemporary carving that is a metaphor for the transition from the tribal world to a world influenced by Western consciousness; the social evolution marked by the change in focus from the group to the individual. The base of the container represents the tribal world, where the tribe members are connected as one through dance. The container depicts the beginning of Western influence, where tribe members are differentiating themselves through hairstyles; where the focus is no longer on a shared activity but on the head. The lid depicts the ultimate transition; the tribe member is now poised like the Western image of the thinker, alone in his own thoughts, connected to no one.

Provenance:
retail store, New York 1993