Ancestors, Goddesses and Heroes. Sculptures from Asia, Africa and Europe Published by the Stiftung Humboldt Forum im Berliner Schloss English edition, 96 pages, softcover, 26.5 x 21.5 cm, Deutscher Kunstverlag, Berlin 2023, 22.- Euro To protect, heal or punish – These are the powers that peoples of radically different ages and places of origin ascribed to the images that are here presented alongside each other for the very first time.
The forty-five objects created between the fourth and nineteenth centuries are a vital attestation of the ever-present need for protection and orientation in times of crisis, whether at the personal or the social level. They stand for the existence of an invisible world of gods, spirits and ancestors that helped forge a palpable link between the here and now and a different reality as well as providing inspiration for the life of each and every individual.
