Online Photography Exhibitions by Carol Beckwith and Angela Fisher / African Ceremonies
ONLINE EXHIBITIONS
Exhibitions by Carol Beckwith and Angela Fisher / African Ceremonies hosted online at
GOOGLE ARTS & CULTURE
African Ceremonies: PASSAGES
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This powerful exhibit of African tribal ceremonies reflects 30 years of commitment to preserving the endangered cultures and peoples of 90 tribes across Africa. Carol Beckwith and Angela Fisher pay homage to the rituals that mark every important occasion in tribal life — birth, initiation, courtship, marriage, royal coronations, seasonal rituals, healing exorcisms, and death. These images are the result of a long, enduring and deeply respectful relationship with tribal peoples. This, combined with Beckwith and Fisher’s extraordinary photographic skills, creates an intimate portrayal of ceremonies long held secret that might have never been recorded. It is an exhibit that both preserves and presents the power, complexity and celebration found within the rituals of African tribal life.
This exhibition is drawn from the photographers landmark 2 volume book : AFRICAN CEREMONIES, published Harry N. Abrams, 1999, and their traveling exhibition by the same name.
DINKA: Legendary Cattle Keepers of Sudan
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Carol Beckwith and Angela Fisher produced a book and exhibition of artistic excellence that has vividly captured various aspects of Dinka identity, culture and way of life. In a sense, they have also documented the culture of a people whose world is transforming rapidly. The photographs present the Dinka as they were at a time of relative stability and continuity, with an eye for dramatic beauty. They have appropriately focused on the core of Dinka culture and life – their devotion to cattle.
This exhibition is drawn from the photographers' epic book DINKA: Legendary Cattle Keepers of Sudan, published by Rizzoli 2010
CEREMONIAL COUTURE:
Ritual Costume and Traditional Fashions from across the African Continent
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From the elegant makeup and dress of the Wodaabe nomads in Northern Africa, to the bold geometry of Pedi bead work in South Africa, from the vivid red ochre paint that covers Maasai bodies in the East to the sumptuous gold work and fabrics of the Ashanti Kingdom in the West. Every corner, every people, every tribe on the African continent brings their own unique vision, energy and execution to their ritual fashions. A myriad of styles dress the important passages of life for tribal communities, traditional peoples and royal kingdoms and allow them to celebrate the diverse color, form, texture and style that makes Africa a powerhouse of creativity and never-ending source of design inspiration. From body painting techniques 100,000 years old to incorporation of the most contemporary materials and designs, the traditional peoples of African have style as alive and vibrant as the rites and rituals that they celebrate. Not mere costumes, these garments and cosmetics have deeper power and meanings. They beautify the wearer for courtship and seduction, strengthen social bonds within communities, and convey secret meanings and coded messages about the wearer’s social status, wealth, availability and desires. The ceremonial couture of Africa has been and continues to be a source of deep inspiration for artists and designers worldwide.