Through a geographical itinerary encompassing Oceania, Africa and the Americas, the exhibition presents a collection of some forty exhibits from the musée du quai Branly – Jacques Chirac collections, depicting a captivating and astonishing signification of reality.

The exhibition looks to explore the messages underlying the ambiguous meanings contained in the images, where reproductions, superimpositions and reversals ceaselessly create not illusions, but real magic.

Shields and bark paintings from Papua New Guinea, masks and sculptures from Gabon, and a zoomorphic rattle from Canada are all part of a deliberate staging of magical appearances to capture the eye. The visitor is led to question his own perception and the intertwining dynamics between resemblance, imitation and mental imagery.

This exhibition has been presented at the Château-Musée de Tournon-sur-Rhône, France, from June 17th to October 6th 2014.