Image: EXTRAORDINARY OBJECTS, Cambridge
Hemingway African Gallery has listed a new arrival of painted Bozo fish sculptures from Mali, expanding its Decorative Art offering with a group of one-of-a-kind, hand-carved works. The pieces are presented as contemporary decorative objects and are described on the gallery’s website as new arrivals, with individual examples currently available online.
The gallery identifies the works as Bozo fish sculptures made in Mali and links them to the Bozo people’s long association with fishing and boating along the Niger River. In the product text, Hemingway African Gallery says the Bozo are renowned for their expertise in fishing and boating, and that their annual catch is a significant export for the country. The name “Bozo,” the site adds, derives from the Bambara word for straw house, a reference to the temporary fishing camps where the community resides.
The gallery’s description also places the sculptures within Mali’s puppetry and performance traditions. According to the source material, the Bozo are known not only for fishing skills but also for colorful puppets used during harvest and fishing celebrations. The fish sculptures are said to feature moving parts, including fins that can produce a clicking sound, which the gallery says classifies them as puppets. The site further connects them to Mali’s broader puppetry tradition, where brightly painted animals appear in performances combining movement, music, dance, and storytelling.
Hemingway African Gallery’s website includes several examples in the series, each identified as a new arrival and priced individually. Among the listed works are ‘Bozo Fish Sculpture, Mali | Yellow & Red’ (SKU: D1065), ‘Bozo Fish Sculpture, Mali | Black & Blue’ (SKU: D1062), and ‘Bozo Fish Sculpture, Mali | Yellow & Blue’ (SKU: D1064). The site also shows additional colorways in the collection, including blue, black, red, yellow, and green combinations, all described as hand-carved in Mali and made from indigenous wood with paint and stain.
The dimensions vary slightly from piece to piece, but the product pages consistently describe the sculptures as free-standing works measuring roughly 18 to 19 inches long, 3 to 4 inches deep, and 6 to 7 inches high. The works are presented as decorative contemporary pieces with some age, but sculpted for decorative purposes. The gallery also notes that the objects are ethically sourced across Africa and carefully packed for shipping from New York.
Hemingway African Gallery, which says it has been family-owned since 1975, operates from 88 Leonard St. in Tribeca, Manhattan. The website says the gallery is open to the public and specializes in fine African art, antique art, Shona sculpture, home décor and jewelry. Within that broader inventory, the Bozo fish sculptures sit under the Fine Art category, alongside fish puppets, masks, sculpture, and related decorative works.
The product pages also frame the collection through the gallery’s collecting philosophy. Hemingway African Gallery says it selects pieces from artists and collectors whose work aligns with its historical and aesthetic standards, and that it values newly created artworks used in ceremonies as authentic expressions of cultural heritage. For the Bozo fish sculptures, the site directs inquiries to the gallery with the relevant SKU numbers and lists shipping by FedEx Ground within the mainland United States, with custom quotes available for other destinations.
