近距离内射合集

If you think all coffins look like boxes, you haven鈥檛 seen the figurative sculptural masterworks from southern Ghana known as abebuu adekai, or 鈥渃offins that communicate.鈥�

Taking the form of fish, guitars, cellphones, race cars or other objects that held special meaning for the deceased, these 鈥渇antasy coffins,鈥� as they are known in the West, are the subject of a new exhibition at the Museum of International Folk Art, 鈥淭he Art Underground: Fantasy Coffins of Ghana,鈥� which runs through Sept. 5, 2027.

鈥淧eople have seen reproductions of them online, probably, or they may have seen one in a museum or something, but they don鈥檛 quite understand (their significance). I mean, they鈥檙e usually seen as novelty objects and sort of humorous,鈥� curator Mark Sloan said. 鈥溾�� But they become poetic biographies carved in wood.鈥�

Fantasy coffins are a way to celebrate a life well-lived, Sloan said, and family members work with the coffin maker to determine what motif will best honor their loved one.

The practice evolved out of an older tradition among the Ga people of Ghana of carving figurative palanquins for their chiefs.

鈥淭he palanquins were typically made 鈥� and they鈥檙e still made 鈥� in the shape of whatever the clan symbol is of the chief who鈥檚 going to be carried,鈥� Sloan said. 鈥淪o, if their clan symbol is the lion, then he would process through the streets sitting in a lion that was carved. They鈥檙e elaborate. Sometimes it would be a rooster. Sometimes it would be a fish. 鈥� But it was rarely humorous.鈥�

The sculptor Seth Kane Kwei is often credited with inventing the fantasy coffin tradition in the 1950s.

鈥淥riginally, a cacao pod was going to be used (as a palanquin) for a chief, whose village grew a lot of cacao. (The chief) commissioned the palanquin from Kane Kwei, and Kane Kwei made it for him. But before it could be used in the procession, the chief died,鈥� Sloan said. 鈥淭hen, through a negotiation with the family and the maker, they decided to bury him in that cacao pod. So, they took off the handles and fashioned a lid 鈥� That was believed to be the original fantasy coffin 鈥� although it depends on who you talk to.鈥�

By the 1960s, nonaristocratic families had begun commissioning coffin makers to give their loved ones regal send-offs, too. Custom handcarved coffins became status symbols. But because these fantasy coffins were also viewed as 鈥渁fterlife vehicles,鈥� they complemented traditional Ga spiritual beliefs.

鈥淚t鈥檚 not just a stylish way to go,鈥� Sloan said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 also intended to smooth the way and to help them as they enter the afterlife, which is believed to be something of an ordeal. The Ga believe there鈥檚 a river to be crossed, and that (the deceased) are going to need money and clothing and other things. So, they put these kinds of things in the fantasy coffin with them. Then, they seal it up, and 鈥� they process through the streets, and people pay their respects. Then, they take it to be buried.鈥�

Master carpenter Eric Adjetey Anang, Kane Kwei鈥檚 grandson, collaborated with Sloan as the exhibition鈥檚 cultural advisor. He is also one of the six master sculptors in the show, along with Kane Kwei, Cedi Anang, Daniel Mensah aka 鈥淗ello,鈥� Jacob Tetteh-Ashong and Paa Joe. 

鈥淧aa Joe helped popularize the tradition, and he鈥檚 now the best known coffin artist in the world, by far,鈥� Sloan said. 鈥淚 mean, he鈥檚 got works in 16 or so major museums worldwide.鈥�

Fantasy coffins started to be exhibited in art galleries and museums beyond Ghana in the 1970s, and interest from the international art world has only increased since then. Today, all the leading Ghanaian coffin makers produce two distinct bodies of work 鈥� traditional coffins, carved from soft wood that鈥檚 meant to decompose when buried, and hardwood sculptures for art collectors that are made to last.

All the works in 鈥淭he Art Underground,鈥� including both full-size and miniature coffins, were expressly made as sculptures. The motifs range from a lobster to a garbage truck to an M-80 audio mixer.

The exhibition is augmented by documentary videos by David Masterwille, a Ghanaian filmmaker. In one, a community advocate named Ivy Prosper says she initially felt apprehensive about the idea of fantasy coffins being exhibited in Western art museums. But when she considered how much of what we know about ancient Egypt comes from funerary items in museums, she started to think it might be a good way to ensure that her own culture is remembered thousands of years in the future.

As more people around the world learn about fantasy coffins, the line separating the ones intended for burial from ones made for collectors is starting to blur.

Linda Anderle, a fiber artist and retired florist living in Clovis, had been fascinated by fantasy coffins for years. When she heard that Adjetey Anang would be selling mini coffins at the 2021 International Folk Art Market in Santa Fe, she was thrilled.

鈥淏eing a florist and creating floral tributes for families, I was, and remain, quite interested in funeral practices,鈥� Anderle said. 鈥溾�� So, when the IFAM announced that the families of the original coffin makers would be in Santa Fe, I had to go and meet them.鈥�

She brought her husband, Bill, to Adjetey Anang鈥檚 booth and asked him to choose his favorite mini coffin.

鈥淲hen Bill selected the chile, I said to him, 鈥楾his is where I will place your cremains!鈥� He was perfectly in agreement,鈥� Anderle said.

Bill Anderle often carried chiles in his pocket in case he was unable to order fresh ones with a meal while traveling.

鈥淟ittle did I expect to place him there sooner than later,鈥� she said. 鈥淏ill died April 8, 2024, just days before he would have been 87.鈥�

Both she and her husband had a healthy attitude toward death, she said, approaching it with honesty and humor. And even though Bill Anderle was born in Chicago, his final resting place is quintessentially New Mexican: a handcrafted chile. In his case, red.

鈥淚t鈥檚 lovely to look up at that chile and say, 鈥楬i, Willie,鈥欌�� Linda Anderle said.

She returned to Santa Fe for the opening of 鈥淭he Art Underground鈥� and shared her story with both the sculptor and the curator after their talk that day.

鈥淪he brought pictures to the opening to show me and Eric,鈥� Sloan said. 鈥淚t was really a sweet moment.鈥�

Logan Royce Beitmen is an arts writer for the 近距离内射合集. He covers visual art, music, fashion, theater and more. Reach him at lbeitmen@abqjournal.com or on Instagram at .