PAINTED BODIES OF AFRICA Carol Beckwith & Angela Fisher

PAINTED BODIES OF AFRICA

Introduction

Carol Beckwith and Angela Fisher‘s latest work “Painted Bodies of Africa” explores the fascinating and seductive art of African body painting, a dynamic activity first performed to attract the opposite sex, identify oneself from the enemy, and access the spirit world. Using the skin as a canvas and the earth as a pal-ette, body painting has always been a vital outlet for creative design.

In one of the most remote corners of Africa, the Omo River peoples still decorate their bodies from head to toe using organic colors such as chalk, ocher, and charcoal. Other tribes, such as the legendary Maasai of Kenya and the Himba pasto-ralists of Namibia, cover their bodies with red ocher found in earth rich with iron ore content. For these people, the color red symbolizes blood and the all-encompassing life force. When perfumed with fresh herbs and mixed with animal fat, the red ocher both beautifies and nourishes the skin. Voodoo worship-pers in West Africa, who desire to enter the spirit world, cover their bodies with white kaolin powder considered “food for the gods.” This pale pigment helps a devotee attain the highly sought state of possession, whereby a deity may enter his body and empower him.

The African continent reveals the widest range of body deco-ration in the world. In addition to painting the human form, “Painted Bodies of Africa” explores the delicate art of henna popular among Swahili brides in East Africa; the practice of facial tattooing found among the Wodaabe nomads in Niger; the ritual scarification of sacred cowhorn patterns among the Dinka of Southern Sudan; and the decorative scarification of Karo men and women in Southwest Ethiopia who focus sensual pleasure on the touch of textured skin.

Body painting is one of the oldest art forms on the African continent. Evidence of its origins is found in the early African cave paintings and rock engravings dating back to the Stone Age. One of the most dramatic examples is found in Chad and is known as Niola Doa, “the beautiful ladies,” dating back 4,000–7,000 years. In this early engraving, the human body is decorated from head to toe, a testimony to the powerful human instinct to beautify the skin.

Egret Feather Adorning a Karo Clay Hair Bun, Ethiopia

Cover: Karo Courtship Dancers, Ethiopia© 2011 Carol Beckwith and Angela Fisher

PAINTED BODIES OF AFRICA

Artist Biographies, 2012

Thirty-five years ago American-born Carol Beckwith and Austra-lian Angela Fisher met in Kenya and began a relationship with the African continent, journeying over 270,000 miles, through 40 countries and recording 150 African cultures.

The two photographers produced 14 acclaimed books includ-ing Maasai (1980), Nomads of the Niger (1983), Africa Adorned (1984), African Ark (1990), African Ceremonies (1999), Passages (2000), Faces of Africa (2004), Lamu: Kenya’s Enchanted Island (2009), and Dinka: Legendary Cattle Keepers of Sudan (2010). Their defining body of work, the double volume African Cer-emonies (1999), is a pan-African study of rituals and rites of passage from birth to death, covering 93 ceremonies from 26 countries. This publication won the United Nations Award for Excellence for its “vision and understanding of the role of cultural traditions in the pursuit of world peace.” Angela and Carol have been honoured twice with the Annisfield-Wolf Book Award in race relations for “outstanding contributions to the understanding of cultural diversity and prejudice”, and won the Royal Geographical Society of London’s Cherry Kearton Medal for their “contribution to the photographic recording of African ethnography and ritual”.

Their latest book, Painted Bodies of Africa (Rizzoli, 2012) is a Pan-African study of the art of body painting focusing on the oldest art form of decorating the body, used to attract the op-posite sex, establish tribal identity and access the power of the spirit world.

Aware that traditional cultures in Africa are fast disappearing, Carol and Angela are working to complete the third volume of their ongoing study of African ceremonies. Their fieldwork will cover the remaining traditional ceremonies in the 13 Afri-can cultures in which they have not yet worked. Recently they visited the Royal Kingdom of Benin, Nigeria, to photograph the 800-year-old Igue Festival. African Twilight is scheduled for publication in 2014.

Carol Beckwith and Angela Fisher

“We feel privileged to photograph these cultures that possess a wealth of knowledge that should be celebrated, shared, and honoured. It is our life passion to document and create a powerful visual record of these vanishing ways of life for future generations.”

PAINTED BODIES OF AFRICA

Karo Man Painted for Courtship Dancing, Ethiopia© 2011 Carol Beckwith and Angela Fisher

PAINTED BODIES OF AFRICA

Karo Man’s Painted Chest, Ethiopia© 2011 Carol Beckwith and Angela Fisher

PAINTED BODIES OF AFRICA

Himba Girl with Ochered Veil, Namibia© 2011 Carol Beckwith and Angela Fisher

PAINTED BODIES OF AFRICA

Samburu Warrior with Ochered French Silk Roses, Kenya © 2011 Carol Beckwith and Angela Fisher

PAINTED BODIES OF AFRICA

Ochered Maasai Warrior, Kenya © 2011 Carol Beckwith and Angela Fisher

PAINTED BODIES OF AFRICA

Swahili Woman Decorating her Hand with Henna, Lamu Island, Kenya© 2011 Carol Beckwith and Angela Fisher

PAINTED BODIES OF AFRICA

Henna Painting on Arms and Legs of a Swahili Bride, Lamu Island, Kenya© 2011 Carol Beckwith and Angela Fisher

PAINTED BODIES OF AFRICA

Wodaabe Charm Dancer Preparing for the Geerewol, Niger© 2011 Carol Beckwith and Angela Fisher

PAINTED BODIES OF AFRICA

Wodaabe Male Charm Dancers, Niger© 2011 Carol Beckwith and Angela Fisher

PAINTED BODIES OF AFRICA

Surma Girls Face Painting by the Dama River, Ethiopia © 2011 Carol Beckwith and Angela Fisher

PAINTED BODIES OF AFRICA

Surma Men Painted for Courtship, Ethiopia© 2011 Carol Beckwith and Angela Fisher

PAINTED BODIES OF AFRICA

Publicity Contact

Caroline GrahamC4 Global Communications Inc

1625 17th Street, Suite 6Santa Monica, CA 90404

T. 310.899.2727M. 310.487.2881F. 310.899.2722www.c4global.com

Contact amanda@c4global.com for the original high-res images.