Galerie Flak

For hundreds of years, atop the mesas of Arizona, masked and costumed dancers have gathered
week after week on the plaza - the large rectangular central square of the Hopi village - to pray for rain
and germination. They represent Kachina spirits or "katsina” (plural katsinam), a term signifying both wooden figurine, masked dancer, and deity. Objects of tradition and of education, tools to remember and works of art in their own right, katsina dolls give vibrant testimony to the traditions and secret beliefs of Native Americans of the Southwest.

Nearly 450 different katsina spirits can be identified in the Hopi pantheon, each characterized by
specific colors, symbols, and elements of costume that allow for precise identification.
Celebrations of fauna and flora, prayers for fertility and favorable weather, katsinam also mirror the
diversity of human behaviors with figures of warriors, priests, guardians of peace, or masters of
disorder. The expansive realm of Katsinam resonates with the timeless concerns shared by all human
societies throughout the ages.

Since the early 20th century, illustrious predecessors such as the Surrealists around André Breton or
Max Ernst, as well as Claude Lévi-Strauss, André Malraux, or Jacques Lacan, have all fallen under the
spell of these polychrome wooden dolls. In turn, these pioneers have passed on their passion to entire
generations of collectors. Thus, katsinam have remained, since their discovery over a hundred years
ago, an endless source of dreams, poetry, and inspiration.

20 years in the making, this exhibition entitled "Katsina Calling" presents an exceptional collection of
several dozen antique Katsina dolls dating from the 1880s to the 1930s. These sculptures will be exhibited by Galerie Flak at BRAFA in January 2024. A eponymous book, with essays from leading art historians, ethnologists, and katsina dolls collectors, will be published on this occasion.