This study of the wooden Serpent figures/headdresses of the Baga people of Guinea is a collaboration by the author, as an art historian, with many contributions from diverse perspectives, including scientists preeminent in their fields, Robert J. Koestler, Roy Sieber, Dennis William Stevenson, Mark T. Wypyski, and Peter J. Zanzucchi.
The text begins with a thorough exploration of the ethnological and art historical evidence for the Serpent masquerade among the Baga of Guinea, bearing an immense wooden serpent figure on top of the head representing a python. Never witnessed or photographed by an outsider, it disappeared in the 1950s along with most ritual performance after an Islamic jihad instated strict prohibitions against indigenous religions. The ritual context is followed by an in-depth analysis of the Serpent masquerade figures now extant in collections in Europe, the Americas, and Africa, as well as other representations of the python in the ritual art of the region. The final sections present the arguments, as a debate, between interested persons in the arts, including art historians, dealers, appraisers, collectors, and curators, and the scientific examinations by specialists in botany, chemistry, physics, entomology, and conservation concerning one particular Serpent figure in question.
The Grand Tour, a journey of culture and amusement across Europe, was a common practice from the 17th century to the first quarter of the 19th century. This book, then, reviews the stages of a tour that has left its mark on European culture. The opening essay, by Nicholas Foulkes, reviews the significance of the Grand Tour for international culture, especially British culture. Next, Fernando Mazzocca reviews its artistic coordinates, while Attilio Brilli explores some of the more obscure but intriguing aspects of the Grand Tour, with an intriguing selection of literary excerpts, a lively travel anthology. Accompanying the texts is a carefully curated selection of images, with works by many of the leading artists of the period.
Even though they belong to the mineral kingdom, the stones in the collection of the French writer Roger Caillois appear miraculously similar to works of art. Beginning from this mysterious but captivating link between two such apparently distant universes, the book collects a carefully curated selection of the finest stones in the collection and recounts the life of Caillois (sociologist, member of the surrealist movement…), reviewing and presenting his essays on stones. The persona and the personality of this atypical 20th-century intellectual emerge from the essay by Stefano Salis, who introduces us to Caillois’ world and that of Marguerite Yourcenar, who took his place in the Académie de France after his death with a speech reviewing his life and work. The literary critic Carlo Ossola traces the outlines of the cultural climate in which Caillois lived and operated, while François Farges, now in charge of the collection, illustrates it in the final essay.
In The 500 Hidden Secrets of Istanbul, Feride Yalav-Heckeroth shares all of her favorite insider tips, tricks and places to explore Istanbul. Her book contains fun and interesting lists such as 5 restaurants to discover modern Turkish cuisine, the 5 most beautiful beaches, 5 unknown architectural gems from the Ottoman Empire, the 5 best spots for live music, 5 cafes with a breathtaking view and much more.
Also available: The 500 Hidden Secrets of Berlin, The 500 Hidden Secrets of Tokyo, The 500 Hidden Secrets of Miami, The 500 Hidden Secrets of Paris, The 500 Hidden Secrets of New York, and many more. Discover the series at the500hiddensecrets.com
“Dennis Tyfus appears like a punk-blasted sprite bursting from his pantaloons, a charmed creature’s tongue lolloping the golden inspirations both fresh and world-weary amid the gallery of noise freaks and intellectual elites.” – Thurston Moore, Sonic Youth
The practice of Antwerp-based artist Dennis Tyfus (b. 1979) encompasses a wide range of artistic media, including drawings, sculptures, installations, videos, magazines, books, music, vinyl records, tattoos, his own radio show, concerts and performances. In his oeuvre, everything flows into everything else, without a fixed definition, beginning or end. In doing so, he draws heavily on the work of artists such as Dieter Roth, Mike Kelley, Jim Shaw and Wim T. Schippers. By combining elements from his personal psyche with various aspects of high and low culture and approaching them on an equal footing, Tyfus creates a universe in which the personal, the everyday and the uncanny come together. This book brings together a wide selection from his oeuvre.
This publication accompanies the exhibition Don’t Tell Me Not to Tell You What to Do at de Warande, Turnhout, Belgium from 30 April to 13 August 2023.
With text contributions by Helena Kritis, curator at WIELS contemporary art centre in Brussels, Thurston Moore of Sonic Youth, and artist Steven Warwick.
Text in English and Dutch.