SUZANNE PRESTON BLIER - BRUTAL ARTS — POTENT AESTHETICS OF BOCIO VODUN ARTS IN COSTAL BENIN AND TOGO
In psychological terms, these works speak to the challenges and fears of the world as it is experienced, a world rife with circumstances and events of the unknown. Such works address the array of emotions that impact humans regardless of status, wealth, or personal history. Referred to historically in the West by largely pejorative terms—fetish, idol, gris-gris, marmouset, magot, devil—bocio forms speak to potent fears of the unknown. These works relate to the power of belief at local level, here specifically the religion and philosophy of Vodun, and the array of forces such as gods and spirits that shape this worldview.
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