As a sculpture that formally cannot be fitted into the classical, Western-influenced art canon, Mama Africa, 1991/92, by Seni Camara captivates the viewer. The work of the Senegalese artist was shown in the exhibition Hello World. Revision of a Collection in Hamburger Bahnhof – Museum für Gegenwart – Berlin in the exhibition “Where do we come from? Sculptural Forms of Appropriation” in 2018. Origin and offspring are also central themes in Camara’s work: Mama Africa shows a standing figure with big eyes, a prominent nose and a slightly open mouth.

On her body there are numerous small heads with arms and hands that seem to cling to her; like a mother carrying and feeding her children. For Camara, the artistic creation process contains an important spiritual component, which is also expressed in the materiality of her works. The figures are formed out of clay – the earthy natural product of her homeland – and fired in a traditional process. The specific sculptural form is always the result of the work on the material, without preparatory designs.

(Kristina Schrei)