Hemba

Expressing one of many Luba sub-styles, the tall, standing male figures created by mastercarvers of the Hemba culture in southeastern Congo since at least the mid-1800s arguablyrank among the noblest sculptural depictions of the human figure in sub-Saharan Africa.With their serene gaze and meditativ [...]
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Expressing one of many Luba sub-styles, the tall, standing male figures created by mastercarvers of the Hemba culture in southeastern Congo since at least the mid-1800s arguablyrank among the noblest sculptural depictions of the human figure in sub-Saharan Africa.With their serene gaze and meditative expression, they exude a tranquillity and dignity thatbefits these idealised likenesses memorialising esteemed leaders of the past. Infused with alife-force or vital energy, these spirit-invested objects were able to communicate between theliving and the dead. Thanks to their inner power they had the capacity to impact the materialsphere by allowing the ancestors to positively influence the well-being of their survivingrelatives.In this publication, through the perceptive lens of art photographer Luigi Spina, we discovernine of the most accomplished Hemba creations whose classical style has triggeredcomparisons with some kouroi sculptures of ancient Greece. Spina's photographicinterpretations help us understand why these proportionally balanced and symmetricallyconceived ancestral figures have earned the admiration of African art lovers around theworld.These personal readings of the beloved Hemba commemorative portraits also confirm whythese sensitive renderings of the human anatomy deserve inclusion in the universal history ofartistic creativity and a place in Andre Malraux's "Museum Without Walls."