Terms like “fetish”, “fetishism”, “fetish priest” have been used by scholars and researchers in the past to misleadingly alienate and demonise performative practices of Vodun and their use of tangible manifestations. Often following religious and political agendas of colonialism, they couldn’t be further from any truth related to Vodun’s understanding of visual epistemologies and practices as well as their imagery.
As part of the exhibition “Im Rausch(en) der Dinge. Fetisch in der Kunst” (“Intoxicating Objects. Fetishism in Art”) held at Graphische Sammlung ETH Zürich, Niklas Wolf will present on Spiritual Ways and Workings. Zu performativen Praktiken und materiellen Manifestationen westafrikanischer Vodun (“Spiritual Ways and Workings. On the Performative Practices and Material Manifestations of West African Vodun”).
Where: Institute for Art History, Zurich University
When: Tuesday, 30th April, 6.30 – 7.30 pm
more information: https://gs.ethz.ch/en/current/