Ceremonial Skirt 1875 - 1900

This ceremonial skirt was created by the Kuba people with woven raffia. The skirt presents a stark interplay between geometric precision and organic variation. A checkerboard pattern in deep blue and cream defines its borders, suggesting a structured, almost mathematical approach to design. Yet, the central field disrupts this order. Here, a series of irregular, amoeba-like shapes float across a neutral ground, each outlined with a delicate, darker thread. These shapes evoke a sense of natural forms, perhaps seeds or microscopic organisms, rendered in a deliberately imprecise manner. The skirt seems to engage with a visual paradox. The Kuba people have long used geometric patterns and abstract motifs to communicate complex ideas about their world, history, and social structures. This skirt may challenge fixed meanings and engage with a new way of thinking. It embraces a playful exploration of randomness within rigid frameworks. The skirt does not offer a singular, unchanging meaning but is a site of interpretation.