Toko
2008
Nickel-plated bronze
68 x 12.8 x 55 cm (26 3/4 x 5 1/16 x 21 5/8 in.)
A sculpture of a bird’s head on a pedestal recalls the deities depicted in African art. Toko (2008) is actually the transposition of an original wooden sculpture, moulded and then cast in nickel-plated bronze, a method usually used by industrial goldsmiths.
It is one in a series of sculptures Bertrand Lavier created using the same technique on traditional African art objects. While this may look like cultural appropriation, Lavier is actually asking a purely aesthetic question, referring to Marcel Duchamp's ready-mades, from which he draws much of his inspiration.
Lavier's sculpture, which is in the Pinault Collection, was exhibited at the 2014 "Art Lovers" show at the Grimaldi Forum Monaco.
It is one in a series of sculptures Bertrand Lavier created using the same technique on traditional African art objects. While this may look like cultural appropriation, Lavier is actually asking a purely aesthetic question, referring to Marcel Duchamp's ready-mades, from which he draws much of his inspiration.
Lavier's sculpture, which is in the Pinault Collection, was exhibited at the 2014 "Art Lovers" show at the Grimaldi Forum Monaco.
Exhibitions
Bertrand LAVIER © Adagp, Paris.
Courtesy of the artist and Yvon Lambert, Paris.
Photo: André Morin
