DETROIT, MICH.- The Detroit Institute of Arts announced today two recent additions now on view in its acclaimed African gallery: a stunning Ghanaian fantasy coffin shaped like a Ford 1910 Model T, made by artist Joseph Ashong (a.k.a Paa Joe) – in honor of the Motor City’s auto workers – and a significant collection of masks from the West African nation of Burkina Faso.

“We are thrilled to put these exceptional works on public view for the first time since entering the DIA collection,” said Nii O. Quarcoopome, curator and head of Africa, Oceania & Indigenous Americas at DIA. “Paa Joe’s coffin is a uniquely local piece, having been inspired by area high school students. In addition, the Burkina Faso masks, previously part of the prestigious james Wheelock collection, underscore the museum’s commitment to strengthening its world-acclaimed African art collection.”

Paa Joe made the Car-shaped Coffin (2018) from locally-sourced wood, Plexiglas, metal, paint, and fabric. In 2017, the DIA hosted Paa Joe for a month-long residency at the museum. Utilizing his unique wood sculpting and joinery technique, Paa Joe and two assistants created a contemporary figurative coffin shaped like a 1910 Ford Model T, a motif selected by art students from Detroit’s Renaissance High School. The DIA later acquired the finished coffin for its collection.

Accompanied by insightful labels and contextual photos, Car-shaped Coffin reflects on death and the afterlife in contemporary Ghana, West Africa, where artists till create fantasy coffins to bury the dead. The coffin’s design often speaks to the deceased’s vocation or accomplishments. Some famous fantasy coffins are those shaped like cars, bibles, boats, airplanes, shoes, cell phones, and animals.

The DIA acquired the Burkina Faso masks in 2019 from the estate of noted American art collector James Wheelock. Mostly depicting animals, the objects originated from different cultures of the Burkina Faso, considered the mecca of West African masquerading.

Each piece has its unique attributes, but, as a group, they represent closely related masking traditions, which on occasion may be performed. As such, the installation attempts to capture the essence of such a spectacle. To this end, gallery installation features a supersized video showing similar masks in performance. Mask-wearing is more than face-covering in much of Sub-Saharan Africa as it is also a means to celebrate ancestors and interact with spirits.