Khota figures from Gabon are made by the Mahongwe people. In the early 20th century, avant-garde artists, such as Pablo Picasso, Fernand Léger, Paul Klee, Alfred Stieglitz, Alberto Giacometti, and Ernest Mancoba widely collected and drew inspiration from Khota art. The figures’ abstraction inspired the artists to explore forms of representation that are not rooted in visual reality. Khota figures were positioned atop containers or baskets holding precious relics of influential clan ancestors, serving as guardians. Sheathed in metal (brass or copper strips and wire), the figures are highly abstract and dedicated to the spirit of the ancestors called Bwiti or Bwete. Their symbolism, however, is more complex in that reliquary sculptures have also served as agents of ancestral power in communal rites and ritual performances. Such rites and performances are known for remedying social crises and for ensuring success in matters ranging from fertility and health to hunting and trading.
Khota figures from Gabon are made by the Mahongwe people. In the early 20th century, avant-garde artists, such as Pablo Picasso, Fernand Léger, Paul Klee, Alfred Stieglitz, Alberto Giacometti, and Ernest Mancoba widely collected and drew inspiration from Khota art. The figures’ abstraction inspired the artists to explore forms of representation that are not rooted in visual reality. Khota figures were positioned atop containers or baskets holding precious relics of influential clan ancestors, serving as guardians. Sheathed in metal (brass or copper strips and wire), the figures are highly abstract and dedicated to the spirit of the ancestors called Bwiti or Bwete. Their symbolism, however, is more complex in that reliquary sculptures have also served as agents of ancestral power in communal rites and ritual performances. Such rites and performances are known for remedying social crises and for ensuring success in matters ranging from fertility and health to hunting and trading.
