Most
cultures have religious and
philosophic systems, rituals and certain principles of social order
that facilitate the living to accept the death of their neighbor. The
perception of death by the inhabitants of Ghana is kind of peculiar,
which served as an impetus to the shaping of conception of the present
exhibition. For them, death is by no means a mournful event but a
logical completion of one's life's journey. The funeral is a feast in
honor of a well-lived life.
The
coffin plays a special role in
ceremonies. A fisherman's coffin, for instance, resembles a graphic
fish, that of a farmer looks like a huge chicken, and if the dead man
took pride in his car, skillful Ghanaian undertakers offer him a chance
to be buried in a Mercedes or a Buick.
Objects vary from jewelry to video installation borrowing this idea
from Ghanaian peasants and dreaming on into artists’ own funeral.
По-русски