French
Located off the East African coast, caressed by the Indian Ocean, the island of Madagascar is a continent in miniature. An exceptional position, which explains a diversity - natural, linguistic, cultural - unique in the world. Long before the arrival of the Europeans in 1500, this piece of land was an extraordinary melting pot for African, Persian, Arab, Indian and South Asian journeys and migrations.
These cross-breeding, essential to the understanding of Malagasy culture, the exhibition chooses to reveal them through the artistic creations of the island, each placed in its context and time. An unknown art, which is reflected in the daily lives of its inhabitants, in architecture, furniture or personal items (cases, headdresses or jewelry) with clean design. And who gains in refinement, when it deals with the sacred and the world of the deceased, as evidenced by certain pieces used in funeral rituals, with a subtle aesthetic, whether they are woven of silk (textiles) or carved in wood (poles, sculptures) or composites (amulets).
Coedition Quai Branly / Actes Sud