Secrecy: African Art That Conceals and Reveals Hardcover – January 1, 1993

This noble Soho NYC institution is no more. But back in the day, had the most incisive exhibits about African art and culture. This one stayed with me the longest because it lets you on cult African art in a direct way without making you slog thru an anthropology book.Great pictures, worth a premium price (even without a dust cover, lile the one I got).

Softcover, 253 pages, 12" x 9", Author : Mary H. Nooter, Susan Vogel, Allen F. Roberts, Suzanne Preston Blier and others.86 Catlogue items, mostly in color, + dozens of field and supporting photos in color and b/w. Published to commemorate an exhibition entilted : Secrecy - African Art That Conceals And Reveals. Published by The Museum For African Art, 1993.From the Introduction to the book, by Mary H. Nooter : "Secrecy :n African Art That Conceals And Reveals explores how art both structures and selectively disseminates secret knowkledge in Africa. The book and the exhibition it accompanies make two main points : first, art is intimately relared to knowledge in Africa, being fundamental to processes of teaching and revelationthat confer status and disclose information, meanings and symbols; and second, secrets are often essential to the making, ownership, use and interpretation of art. The essays in the book - by 13 Africanist scholarsof diverse intellecvtual orientations - eplore relationships among art, secrecy, knowledge and power ion African societies."Excellent presentation, interesting text, and great balance of featured objects and conxtual photos, this book is highly recommended.

Something is always concealed, somethings are revealed. Throughout Africa, the various cultures worked to conceal knowledge. The ability to obscure knowledge or meaning is a communication skill. In society as a whole, liberal exposure of knowledge is considered irresponsible because it can be dangerous in the wrong hands, used for personal gain or to harm social order.Secrecy through coding, ambiguity and obscurity allows secrets to be hidden in art-work and known only to the maker or user. This provides a powerful visual language and has been a major factor with misperceptions and misnomers with the arts of Africa. Without a doubt, this has to be one of the most constructive publications centered on interpretative understandings and meanings of African art.Anyone serious about attempting to understand WHY the world of African "art" is strangely symbolic, enigmatic and secretive, don't pass on this publication. It is truly revealing and may cause one to see the "artefacts" entirely different.

Hard to find and spectacular to read and look into. Magical, mysterious and compelling...a new world view. Fills a spiritual void.