Sculpture - Wood - Fon - Benin

A Fon (Voodoo) Fetish sculpture, border district Togo/Benin, numerous padlocks, blue and red stripes of fabric, now brown due to the thick sacrificial patina, rows of pearls, metal attachments, half-closed eyes, short fleshy nose, slightly opened mouth, the lips are drawn upwards, thus imparting a mysterious smile to the sculpture; thick sacrificial patina all over the sculpture. "While the term Vodun has been translated by scholars in many ways over time, my sources have suggested that its origins lie in the phrase “rest to draw the water,” from the Fon verbs vo “to rest” anddun “to draw water,” referencing the necessity to remain calm when facing whatever difficulties may lie in one’s path. " Read more: Wolfgang Jaenicke. Lit. : Vaudou, Fondation Cartier pour lárt contemporain, 2011. Suzanne Preston Blier, African Vodun. Art, Psychology, and Power, University of Chicago Press, Chicago, 1995, 39 - 40.