ASEN ALTAR STAFF (MEMORIAL HEADSTONE)
[1-3]: ASEN ALTAR STAFF (MEMORIAL HEADSTONE)
[4]: 12 asen altars, driven into the ground as they would’ve been, on display at the Royal Palaces of Abomey
[5]: A Fon couple from Dahomey on a vintage postcard
[6,7]: Close-up details of the staged iron figures memorializing the deceased atop an asen
[8]: Asen altars looted by the French in 1892, returned to and displayed in 2022 at the Presidential Palace in Cotonou, Benin
[9-11]: Stills from the trailer for DAHOMEY, a moving, award-winning film by @matidiop, which tells a story of equal longing and uncertainty from the perspective of 1 of 26 looted objects being returned to Benin as part of French restitution
From: Fon culture, (Dahomey) Republic of Benin 🇧🇯Source [1-3]: @themetmuseum
Source [4]: @homocosmicos on alamy.com
Source [5]: @hippostcard
Source [6]: @museebarbiermueller (Asen forged memories of iron in Dahomey Vodun art)
Source [7]: @artkhade
Source [8]: @rfi (Benin opens exhibition of stolen art treasures returned by France)
Source [9]: @guardian (www.theguardian.com/film/2024/feb/23/dahomey-review-benin-bronze-berlin-film-festival-mati-diop)
Source [10,11]: @matidiop’s DAHOMEY trailer on YouTube, streaming on @mubi
~
Source notes [1-3]: Altar Staff (Asen). 19th century. Iron, wood, pigment. H. 57 × Diam. 13 1/4 in. (144.8 × 33.7 cm)
Source notes [4]: “View to Royal Palaces of Abomey of Fon people - 03 november 2015 Benin”
Source notes [6]: “Detail of an asen by the Hountondji family blacksmiths. Abomey, Republic of Benin”
Source notes [7]: “AUTEL FUNÉRAIRE ASEN FON”
Source notes [8]: “Benin President Patrice Talon to inaugurate exhibition of historic treasures returned by France last year, nearly 130 years after they were stolen by colonial forces. The 26 pieces, some considered sacred in Benin, will be displayed from Sunday in the presidential palace in Cotonou.”
Source notes [9]: “Franco-Senegalese actor and film-maker Mati Diop made history in 2019 as the first woman of colour to have a movie selected for competition at Cannes, the poetic migrant drama Atlantique. Now she brings an intriguing, 67-minute long documentary feature to Berlin: a kind of realist jeu d’ésprit or interrogative reverie about colonialism, culture, the past and the present. Dahomey is about the return in 2021 of looted treasures from France to the west African state of Benin, items plundered by French troops in 1892.”
Source notes [10,11]: “From acclaimed filmmaker Mati Diop (Atlantics), DAHOMEY is a poetic and immersive work of art that delves into real perspectives on far-reaching issues surrounding appropriation, self-determination and restitution. Winner of the Golden Bear prize at the 2024 Berlinale.”Observations:
storytelling, unity of material, material intelligence, material awareness, controlled color palette/pigment, continuation of a design language, attention to detail, considering and celebrating (not hiding) where parts of the object connect, ergonomics (sphere at base of cone), considering weight (spoke frame instead of solid cone).
