This is an exhibition of contemporary art production focusing on traditional and modern objects to explicate the relationships of art to spirituality, as an example of lived experience of Mozambique, a country of heterogeneous culture, crystallized by holding masterpieces of oral and intangible heritage of humanity, well-known as “Nyau” and “Timbila”.
The display incorporates items of cultural production such as headrests, pottery, masks, beadwork, sculptures, statues, baskets, and body scarifications, which are used to express cultural identity, beauty, and the social status of members of community; and, especially, objects used for divination rituals. It is suggested that this exhibition aims to highlight the importance and continuing relevance that traditional art has in the contemporary times and explore its role in current cultural developments. In this analysis of traditional objects it is important to clarify the role of divination and its central place on society.
Some of the contemporary artists and art dealers have lost an understanding of the roots of traditional art and its role in the present. Traditional objects represent the continuum of life, death and an afterlife. Objects have many functions. They are used for healing, puberty and initiation ceremonies, and they may also represent ancestors or symbolize eldership. It is intended that the traditional art, as an expression of spirituality and joy in living, will show how common objects can be regarded as a transcendent form of cultural identity; how an object which has been used for a spiritual purpose, becomes art. When an object is infused with the power of the spirit of the ancestors it is no longer a simple object because it embodies their spirit. Sacred objects evoke emotion. The spiritual power of a traditional art object is felt and revealed as your hand touches it. In African art there is a fundamental connection between meaning and the function of an object.
The spiritual value and the purpose of an object affects its aesthetic value to Africans. These objects may be important to people because they are family heirlooms, which link the individual to the ancestors, or, because they have a historical significance. Objects are also important because apart from being conveyors of spirituality, they link the individual to a cultural past.
Traditional art objects are commonly functional objects, and they should be examined in their historical and cultural context. Objects must also be studied in association with the rituals, music and dance they are used in or with. How they relate to the spiritual life of the ancestors; with the people to whom they belonged, or for whom they were made, is also important.
Finally, one of the main challenges is the fact that traditional art, as an important component of modern art, as well as, everyday life, is gaining its place within the mainstream concept of art around the world, influenced by artistic movements, of which creative youth feature prominently, towards the future of the humanity.