Traditional carving
In wood or stone, sculpture takes on various forms. Statuettes, drums, seats and masks, the art of sculpture is linked to rituals. The ancient Baga society of rice farmers on the coast produced pieces incised with geometric patterns, sometimes colored. Today, these sculptures allow us to better understand the practice of witchcraft, which is inseparable from the carved pieces. In the Guinean tradition, they are of a rare expressive power and elegance.
Numerous human statuettes in stone, called pondo, have been found. They were buried in the region bordering Sierra Leone, and on the coast. Characterized by the crouching position of the figure, they would represent the former owners of the land. The Baga and Kissi have continued this tradition; their statues are stocky, with large heads and thick, primitive, stylized features. The Kissi also often represent the rebel leader Samory Touré, mounted on his horse and supported by his people. Remember that Touré put up fierce resistance to the French colonists who came to invade West Africa.
Masks and puppets
As in all of Africa, Guinean masks accompany initiation rites or celebrations. They symbolize the spirits: that of the ancestors, of the river, of the forest or of concepts. Intended to make the spirits participate in the human world, they channel some of their powers. They can take on the features of a female, male or animal face.
If the Malinke were once famous for their carved puppets - the most remarkable being the giant Waraba the Lion or Konkoba - it is above all their Bambara cousins from Mali who have perpetuated this tradition. But Kankan is still famous for its handicrafts, notably for its stylized human statues, without belly, called makondés, singularly evoking Rodin's thinker!
Baga Art
The Baga are also known for their female caryatid drums, or their huge male slotted drums, including those symbolizing the snake god. Baga creations are often painted in bright colors. Nowadays, sculptors adapt the motifs to modern life.
Female institutions are numerous among the Baga. The best known is the a-tëkän of the Baga sitemu, which is the brotherhood of women who have given birth. Young initiates and brides must dance with a clay pot on their heads, their bodies adorned with fetishes and their waists girded with a cowrie shell necklace, to the sound of the a-ndëf drum. This drum is formed by a caryatid supporting the resonance box on its head. It is often embraced by snakes, which represent the mythical python a-mantshor nga-tshol, associated with fertility. Only women are authorized to play it, standing up, with wooden sticks. It is the women of this association who organize wedding festivities, the initiation of young people once a year (in the dry season) and the funerals of initiates.
Modern art
Modern Guinean art adopts all trends. Since the 1990s, some artists have offered their surrealist or abstract vision; others have revisited local themes. Irina Conde paints portraits, close-ups of women and children bathed in an explosion of color. The painter Ibrahima Barry paints for love. In particular for the love of his country, whose daily life he represents in all its aspects. His street scenes are known to sublimate the soul of Guinea.
The painter and sculptor Mohamed Nana Kaba, originally from Kankan, discovered his vocation in childhood. He is known throughout the world with his dolls, evocative of his origins and the traditions of his country.
A stop at the workshop of Bangoura Aboubacar Demba, known as Papus, is essential. The painter considers himself lucky to have the benefit of the Sanderval hut of the National Museum to create. In his paintings, he approaches traditional subjects with a magnificent style, which tends towards a sublime abstraction.
For Guinean artists, the major problem is the lack of exhibition space. If, by tradition, they exhibit in the street, they now wish to become official. They are redoubling their efforts to promote their creations, notably through associations. The dedicated places are multidisciplinary, such as the Franco-Guinean Cultural Center/CCFG, which houses, among other things, theaters, a cinema, a café and exhibition spaces.
The Villa des Arts, a must-see, has recently added an art gallery. The residence has quickly become the Mecca of national contemporary art.
Street Art
Art and the street go hand in hand in Guinea.
On the walls of Conakry, a portrait disturbs, that of the former Guinean president Sékou Touré. It is its location that is causing controversy. Among the multitude of faces that adorn the walls, that of Sekou Toure occupies a place that evokes the victims of the regime, the bridge of November 8 or bridge of the Hanged. The graffiti artist Chimère Ndiaw explains that history, even tragic, should not be obscured, that the work attracts and awakens to the history of the country, and that his desire was not to shock.
The Guinean urban art also rises up against the bad management of the garbage. It is implanted in unhealthy places, and opposes messages of beauty and education intended for the population. Alternative to painting, reproductions of photographs are fixed on the walls using a handmade glue made from corn.
Since 2018, the Lassiry Graffiti festival has transformed Conakry into an open-air museum. For eight days in March, pan-African graffiti artists illustrate national history. Thus, the portraits of important people are painted in the public space. For the occasion, the municipality is making its walls available to the artists in the districts of Gbèssia, Bambéto and Matoto.
Currently, cultural places are renovated or under construction. The opening of the Mamaya cultural center in Kankan, or the rehabilitation of the National Museum of Sandervalia are all glimmers of hope for the Guinean art scene.
