ABSTRACT
Throughout human history, members of all societies have developed unique forms for enhancing the human body through adornment. Within Africa, such aesthetic practices vary enormously from culture to culture, as do the precious materials harnessed to this end. The earliest observations of African forms of adornment by Europeans emphasized their exotic and timeless nature. The same fascination with the decorated body in Africa, especially that of women, continues to be reflected in the visual collages produced by contemporary photographers Angela Fisher and Carol Beckwith (Fisher 1984; Beckwith and Fisher 1990, 2000). The panoramic vistas they afford the viewer at once expand the geographic parameters of what is perceived to be African, while providing a celebratory look at the continent’s immense diversity. Nevertheless, they perpetuate an Africa which is only rural, exotic, and timeless.
