Gifts and Blessings: the Textile Arts of Madagascar

African Arts, Summer, 2003 by Rebecca L. Green

One reservation I had about the exhibition, particularly in light of tire discipline's struggle to have African art accepted as "art" and housed in art museums, involves the reproductions by Lamba SARL of older textiles. The four large examples are beautiful in their jewel-like colors and sophisticated in their supplemental float designs, and it would have been informative to see one of them in the contemporary section. I am concerned, however, that displaying four such cloths, all relatively similar, put too great an emphasis on replicas, particularly because originals do exist, as demonstrated by some beautiful examples that were included to great effect in this show. a fine arts museum would never consider exhibiting a copy of a Rembrandt. What does the inclusion of these reproductions say about the perception and understanding of this genre of art, of the older artworks and the artists who created them, and, ultimately, of the definition of "art"? Does it mean we are moving away from the art-museum ideal, with its emphasis on creativity and originality, and toward the ethnographic display, where using replicas and copies to convey information is more accepted?

Separated from the contemporary section by a glass door, the activity room provided opportunities for viewers to become more directly involved. One could select from nine songs by the pop groups Mily Clement, Tarika, and Jaojoby. Visitors were also invited to handle and don clothes like those that were so tempting to touch in the galleries. This activity would have been even more informative if each article had been labeled as to material and ethnic origin. A nearby case, however, held additional raw materials so visitors could connect them with the clothes they were handling.

The far wall was covered with questions about Madagascar. One could select responses from wooden doors, behind which were answers, photographs, and additional information. Under "What do you know of Madagascar?" were questions about geography; livelihoods, and animals. "What have you learned of the role of cloth in Madagascar?" prompted questions concerning the who, what, where, and why of weaving. In a section devoted to the Malagasy language, one could listen to eight common phrases (e.g., "hello," "goodbye," "what's new?," "thank you"). However, by failing to note that all the phrases were in Merina, one of the island's eighteen officially recognized ethnic groups, the curators missed an opportunity to emphasize the island's ethnic and cultural diversity. A final area in this room was a reading corner supplied with some of the relevant resources.

Returning to the exhibition gallery through a second entrance, one was welcomed by a second introductory panel, "Gift of Cloth." It included a photograph of traditional cloth being used in a contemporary wedding (Fig. 5), examples of contemporary clothing (including scarves, shawls, a tie, and a vest), and more traditional clothing (loincloths and large wraps). The final section, "Silks Wrap Dead," included a video of selected Malagasy funerary practices. The Tandroy, an ethnic group among whom co-curator Fee has spent many years of research, use shrouds in a particular manner. Rather than wrapping the dead directly, Tandroy fold shrouds lengthwise to create long strips that are then "woven" together to cover the deceased's coffin, as demonstrated by a large photomural as well as an actual example of a wrapped coffin. A video excerpt of a Betsileo reburial taken by this reviewer showed how ancestors are removed from their tombs and honored, cared for, and danced with before being reinterred. The exhibition ended with a map of Madagascar that illustrated ethnic groups and fiber traditions. Small maps of the island interspersed throughout the exhibition would have been a helpful addition as well.