MADAGASCAR. Sakalava statue. Eroded wood. Height : 92 - Width : 22 cm (arms added, in the same wood having undergone the same erosion) If the imprint of time has erased the features of her face and more deeply marked the veins in her eroded hardwood, the influence of this Sakalava female sculpture is undeniably evident in the fluidity of her moving forms. The subtle ambivalence between the proud, fixed stature and the movement suggested by the bending of legs and arms. Its strength as a dreamlike presence is matched by its symbolic value. She embodies a hymn to life laid beside the tombs, animated by a lyrical, poetic force. Imbued with a quiet yet dynamic power, it is one of the most sensitive expressions of African status. Funerary art, an emblematic creation of Malagasy civilization, appeared in central-western Madagascar in the 17th century, at the birth of the Sakalava kingdom. The sculptor's gesture mediates the sacred. These posts were dedicated to the sacred cult of the dead, symbolizing the passage to the other world by marking and indicating the tomb. As community life was intimately linked to the deceased ancestors, the burial enclosure was worthy of very special attention, as it was the key point of confluence between the physical and spiritual worlds. The place of myth incarnate. Power and solemn pride are intertwined and can be seen in his gestures, with his face bent slightly backwards towards the spiritual. The importance of the embodied character revealed in the elaborate headdress. A similar work from Galerie 62 was exhibited at the Musée de Grenoble during the exhibition "L'Art au futur antérieur" exhibition in 2004. Provenance: Collection Claude et Sylvette Féraud. Artist, surrealist, co-founder of Fata Morgana co-founder of Fata Morgana and member of the Phase group. Expert: Madame Aurore Krier-Mariani.