Coffin representing a rock lobster with five pairs of jointed limbs, two long antennae, which are hinged, and two paired feelers on top. It is painted a green color with six white and black stripes around the body, orange and white paint at sides, and light-purple painted anntenae. The upper body is covered in spines and has a rough texture.

%C2%A91993 Sowah Kwei

Fantasy coffin, 1993

Sowah Kweiexpand_more

Wood, plaster, acrylic paintexpand_more

The Robert C. Winton Fundexpand_more  2010.72

On View in Gallery 250expand_more

The imagination need not be limited by death: If you lived among the Ga people of Ghana, you could be buried in a giant cell-phone coffin, a cacao pod, or anything else related to your profession or social standing. This tradition was started in the 1950s by two artists trained in European carpentry. From the 1980s on, several workshops have produced coffins solely for the local and international art market, like this lobster coffin, pieced together from dozens of parts, covered with plaster, and sprayed with acrylic paint, a “fantasy coffin” never intended for burial.

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Details
Title
Fantasy coffin
Artist Life
1954 - 1999
Role
Maker
Accession Number
2010.72
Curator Approved

This record is from historic documentation and may not have been reviewed by a curator, so may be inaccurate or incomplete. Our records are frequently revised and enhanced. If you notice a mistake or have additional information about this object, please email collectionsdata@artsmia.org.

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Coffin representing a rock lobster with five pairs of jointed limbs, two long antennae, which are hinged, and two paired feelers on top. It is painted a green color with six white and black stripes around the body, orange and white paint at sides, and light-purple painted anntenae. The upper body is covered in spines and has a rough texture.

©1993 Sowah Kwei

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