Notes

Ghanaian artist and master craftsman Joseph Tetteh-Ashong, known as Paa Joe, carves and paints utilitarian and sculptural figurative coffins or abebu adekai (proverb boxes). The practice has developed as a contemporary interpretation of Ga traditional burial ceremonies and funerary rights. Traditionally the coffin is not seen as a final resting place but rather a manner of sending the individual on to the next stage of their journey. Created to represent living and inanimate objects, the form of the coffin is chosen to symbolise the deceased, whether it be alluding to their trade, lineage or social status, the structure represents and celebrates the unique life that the individual has led. Following his participation in the exhibition Les Magiciens de la Terra, Paris in 1989 Paa Joe’s practice has expanded to incorporate these smaller-scale sculptural boxes such as the present lot into his oeuvre.