About
I have been interested in African tribal art for quite a few years now. I have tried to find a golden mean between aesthetics and ethnography in my collection. It is dominated by artifacts originating from central Democratic Republic of the Congo (formerly Zaire, and before that Belgian Congo and the Congo Free State).
Most objects presented were bought on location, though some I have obtained from other collectors. Among these are several from the mid-60’s collection of Alfred Siemaszko, who passed away in 2000.
It is said that wooden sculptures from Africa tend to last around one to two generations, although a significant portion of my collection consists of exhibits from colonial and therefore earlier times. Two deserve mention here for being formed especially long ago. One is from Dr. Antoni Jakubski’s collection, obtained during his travels in German East Africa in 1909-1910; the other is a figurine of Lego in “colonial style”, inscribed with initials (though these may be of the person represented by the figurine itself) and the date 8.V.98 (1898).
Many of the items have interesting stories behind them. Some, for example, were discovered while looking for gold in Congolese rivers, or at abandoned missions. Others belonged to shamans, military officers, or members of secret societies. Sometimes they were carried through the jungle for several days in response to news of the white man’s arrival and interest in them. In other cases, they functioned as décor for the huts for when whites were invited.
Given the great diversity of Sub-Saharan tribal art, I do not intend, nor do I think it possible, to present its full breadth besides giving a general overview. However, I do hope that my gallery will present the distance between such tribal art and contemporary notions of African art as expected by tourists, regardless of the often high quality of original art.
Last but not least, I would like to thank all the people without whom this gallery would not exist. First and foremost, my wife Dorota, for her patience, understanding and voice of reason; Staszek Wadecki, without whose determination and – it goes without saying – bravery, a large portion of the exhibits would not see the light of day; and Mr. Paweł Suchanek, for rating the exhibits many times and returning them to their former glory.
I hope that the fruits of our collective labour will not go to waste. Whether or not this will be the case is up to you, the viewers, to decide. Meanwhile I invite you to come visit me and my collection.