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The Cosmos and Legende bags are far from finished surprising us!
With beautiful ethnic motifs this season, they transport us under the sizzling sun of Africa.
Very sophisticated natural colors and reptilian skins give an elegant yet savage allure to these bags. Supple leathers and snakeskins allow the Exotic Chic trend to wake up the indomitable woman inside each of us.
BIBI, the urban safari
By Stéphane Galienni http://buzz2luxe.com/
African art is outsider art. The works by artists from this continent where there is a shortage of state institutions and art galleries are often described as art brut, primitive or naïve art. Yet great modern artists, Picasso the most prominent among them, fell under the influence of the magical and mystical nature of African art.
Does Africa have much influence nowadays on what is known as contemporary art?
A former resident of a Rue de Rivoli squat and inventor of the urban safari, the visual artist BIBI transforms road cones which he hunts in the heart of cities. Moreover, he reveals the animal nature of these objects by making them into wall trophies, in the art brut style.
Tigers, crocodiles, elephants…animals of the savannas made from recycled materials are this alchemist visual artist’s greatest creations and he, like the African witch-doctor, manages to endow these objects with a soul in order to transmit messages to us which we probably have a tendency to forget.
A pioneer in alternative contemporary art, BIBI brings an element of charm back into our humourless daily lives with his menagerie of African animals which were recently exhibited in the Espace Beaurepaire in the 11th arrondissement in Paris.
For more information: http://www.bibi.fr
Sacred African Dances
By Nathalie www.mysacamain.com
The image that comes to my mind when Africa is mentioned is one of a tribe dancing in colorful costumes, letting themselves be carried away by the rhythm of djembe drumming.
A special means of communication and real cultural heritage, dance enables the peoples of Africa to express their day-to-day emotions or, during ceremonies, to communicate with divine forces.
The Vodoun dances practiced in Benin are part of these sacred dances.
Every dance, with its particular set of coded gestures, pays homage to a specific divinity and asks success and prosperity. The Yéhoué dance is dedicated to Vodoun Hêbiosso, the god of lightning, the Sakpata protects against diseases, Yaoïtcha, the fire-dance, is dedicated to the all-powerful god of the sky and rain, the Adjogbo is danced during the sowing season...
More than just an art form, African dances reflect the history of each people on this continent.
Africa
By Tommye http://www.fashionologie.com/
Fashion photographers are generally known for keeping their lenses on extravagant combinations of models, clothes, and accessories, but one other source seems to have caught their attention: Africa.
In 1967, Irving Penn went on assignment to Dahomey (now Benin) and came back with a book's worth of portraits of the natives — a striking set I first chanced upon at The Museum of Fine Arts, Houston a couple of years ago. Herb Ritts, known for his bold, contrasting photos, traveled to East Africa in the '90s and found enough inspiration in the Maasai tribe to produce his Africa compilation, full of men wearing skull masks and wildlife devouring their prey. And that's not to mention Peter Beard, who visited Africa for the first time in the '50s and was so taken he now lives and works there. There's no doubt the inspiration is there, and the influencers are hooked.
Sources of African Iconography
