Acrylic on linen canvas, 120 x 120 cm

ORIGIN : Fetish Nkisi « four horns » height 55cm

SONGYE people in Democratic republic of Congo

Made of : Wood, copper, metal, fiber, leather, horns, pearls,

Current location : Dallas Museum of Art since 2014 sous N° 2014.4.1

“Artist Graffiti” represents the “Four Horns” statue from the Allan Stone collection, originally

belonging to the Songye culture in the Democratic Republic of Congo. Dated from the end of the 19th, beginning of the 20th century, it would have been carried away in public by guards who manipulated it using rods or sticks fitted into the holes under its arms

Empowered by the spiritually charged materials it contains, the statue traditionally called nkisi has intimidated malevolent forces and achieved positive results for the community. Its size, horns and belly project an image of power, strength and fertility.Sculpted in the form of a standing man, this nkisi wears the ceremonial clothes of the Songye chiefs: a necklace of imported glass beads and civet skin draped over its skirt. Its head is deliberately oversized and enlarged by projecting animal horns to indicate the size of communication with spirits. The copper bands applied to the face of the figure refer to lightning, which can thwart malevolence. The protruding belly of this figure (as well as the animal's horns) are full of consecrated substances to perform magical intervention. The name and specific function of this Nsiki have been lost. (Source Dallas Museum of Art)