A Kifouli Dossou sculpture inspired by a Gelede mask

A Kifouli Dossou sculpture inspired by a Yorouba, Gelede mask.

The artist was born in 1978 in Cové (Benin) where he lives and works. He follows in the footsteps of his big brother Amidou Dossou. It's a family story. His father, Tidjani, carved small statuettes for vodou ceremonies at the request of the people.

"A gelede is a festival of masks performed in veneration of the society’s powerful older women, the iyami. Egbado Yoruba communities perform gelede annually, at which time they formally recognize the powers of the iyami, and solicit their benevolence to ensure the prosperity of the community.
The actual festival involves street orchestras, a lavish display of wooden and cloth costumes, dance, music, singing, and drama that are designed to entertain the viewers, who are also integrated into the performances. The wooden helmet at the top of the masked dancer’s head is part of a large, mixed-media ensemble, including fabric, beads, seeds, and bones, as well as other sculptural pieces attached to various parts of the masked dancer’s body. This gelede mask represents the outsider, who can be a foreigner or a Yoruba who does not adhere to the cultural norm. Outsider status is indicated by the oblique facial mark across the nose, called baamu. The headgear resembles a stylish type of hat, with two overhanging flaps, called abetiaja, meaning the ears of a dog. These flaps may also represent the wings of birds, which the Yoruba associate with women. "
—Revised from, Moyo Okediji, “Art of the Yoruba,” African Art at the Art Institute of Chicago, Museum Studies 23, no. 2 (1997), pp. 172-174.

Height: 64 cm
Weight: 2,8 kg