Menil exhibit 'Cameroon Grassfields' draws inspiration from Houston West African restaurant, diaspora
Doula-based artist, Herve Youmbi is seen in the reflection of one of his art pieces in the ‘Art of the Cameroon Grassfields, A living Heritage’ exhibit at the Menil on Wednesday March 8, 2023 in Houston.on Wednesday March 8, 2023 in Houston.Paul R. Davis, curator of collections at the Menil, walked into Chez Michelle a few years ago with a craving for fried fish. He left the West African restaurant with an idea for a new exhibition.
At the Menil, two distinct and separate galleries in conversation with each other comprise"Art of the Cameroon Grassfields." One honors the past; the other ushers in the present. Ceremony, royal artistic patronage and reluctant colonialism unite the two.
In 2022, Youmbi and Davis traveled to the Grassfields, a green stretch of mountains and highland plateaus in the west and northwest corner of Cameroon along the Nigerian border. Their mission? To negotiate the loan of three"Celestial Thrones" currently on view at the Menil. After the show, the pedestals will be returned to their majesties Simeu David , Gabriel Ndijiemi , and Ngangoum Sylvestre for use in their royal courts.
The masks of a king are very particular, he adds, gesturing toward beaded context clues within"Masks Representing an Elephant." They are often adorned with lizards or birds, the latter symbolizing a messenger and often regarded as the designated animal to carry the souls of those who died across the universe.
"We know the fon was carved at the same time as his wife who has a child and is also pregnant. And that the horn he's holding was used to drink wine," Davis said. The noble couple are positioned directly across from a striking wood door frame,"Royal Palace Posts and Lintel ."That's exactly how they were displayed in a royal setting."
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