Odalisques Playing A Mancala Game (18th Century)
Mancala is often a theme of outstanding artwork, including drawings, paintings, prints, assemblages and sculptures. The artists were inspired by games such as Ali Guli Mane, Awale, Bao la Kiswahili, Congkak, Dakon, Kalah, Mandoli, Mangala, Mangala, Ouri, Ô Quan and Sungka. Many works are owned by museums all over the world. Even the Louvre Museum owns a painting showing a mancala game. The value of the more important works that are listed below range from a few 100 Euros to more than 120,000 Euros.
Some Artists
Ernest Dükü, an Ivorian artist who lives in Paris (France) frequently depicts Awale in his works, which are often very abstract. Sometimes the game board is reduced to just a few spots. The game of Awale symbolizes "life" for him. In 2005, he had an exposition in Paris called "Amaatawale", which explored the symbolic language of the game.
The American transgender artist Caroline Wells Chandler uses mancala beads among other materials in her mixed media creations to explore how "an individual maintains autonomy in the face of a culture that thrives in the subjugation of its participants." Chandler went on to explain: "Sometimes a mancala bead is a bubble of water and sometimes it's just a bead."
The renowned Malaysian artist Mastura Abdul Rahman depicted a Congkak board in two of her major works to symbolize womanhood because the game is typically played by women.
Tables
| Title | Artist | Country | Date | Description |
| hold me closer tiny dancer | Caroline Wells Chandler | USA | 2012 | The assemblage (91.5 cm x 122 cm), mixed media (including mancala stones, starfish, and styrofoam glitter balls) reflects transcultural myths (more information). |
| thunder spoon | Caroline Wells Chandler | USA | 2012 | The assemblage (122 cm x 165 cm), mixed media (including mancala stones, coffee beans, and oatmeal) reflects transcultural myths (more information). |
| my pants howl for you | Caroline Wells Chandler | USA | 2011 | The assemblage (122 cm x 157.5 cm), mixed media (including mancala stones, bones, bells, and pins) reflects transcultural myths (more information). |
| tell me something good | Caroline Wells Chandler | USA | 2011 | The assemblage (150 cm x 185.5 cm), mixed media (including mancala stones, domestic ropes, and plastic diamonds) reflects transcultural myths (more information). |
| Continuing On | Katie Dell Kaufman | USA | 2010 | The assemblage consists of a one-row mancala board, an encaustic medium, 22 ct gold leaf and Asian stamps. |
| Mancala | Conchita Carambano | Australia | 2010 | The assemblage (122 cm x 140 cm), mixed media and acrylic on canvas, shows mancala pebbles (more information). |
| Mancala's Play | Conchita Carambano | Australia | 2010 | The assemblage (240 cm x 198 cm), mixed media and acrylic on canvas, shows mancala pebbles (more information). |
| AC-TG equation maatawale | Ernest Dükü | Ivory Coast / France | 2009 | The assemblage (12 cm x 12 cm x 2 cm), mixed media, shows an Awale board (photo). |
| Mancala | Leigh Banks | Zimbabwe / UK | 2009 | The collage (90 cm x 90 cm), mixed media, is one of eight assemblages commissioned for the Card Room onboard Royal Caribbean International cruise line's 'Oasis of the Seas' (more information). |
| Souvenir de LUX-OR | Ernest Dükü | Ivory Coast / France | 2009 | The assemblage (12 cm x 12 cm x 2 cm), mixed media, shows a symbolized Awale board (photo). |
| Mancala Keyboard | Seth Ludman | USA | 2008 | The assemblage shows stones arranged on a wooden board (photo). |
| Ankhawale la source | Ernest Dükü | Ivory Coast / France | 2006 | The assemblage (21 cm x 19 cm x 2 cm), mixed media, shows an Awale board surrounded by two arms (photo). |
| Chut avant le ka os awale | Ernest Dükü | Ivory Coast / France | 2006 | The assemblage (24 cm x 18 cm x 2 cm), mixed media, shows the scattered holes of an Awale board (photo). |
| Omocontinuum | Ernest Dükü | Ivory Coast / France | 2004 | The assemblage (170 cm x 110 cm x 5 cm), mixed media, shows an Awale board (photo). |
| Amaastuisis la voie de l'Awalé | Ernest Dükü | Ivory Coast / France | 2003 | The assemblage (80 cm x 45 cm x 5 cm), mixed media on wood, shows a fish, two birds and an Awale board (photo). |
| House of Flower, House of Harmony | Mastura Abdul Rahman | Malaysia | 1999 | The collage (183 cm x 276 cm), mixed media, shows a Congkak board in the midst of a circle expressing the beauty and harmony of traditional Malay culture. |
| Interior No. 29 | Mastura Abdul Rahman | Malaysia | 1987 | The collage (115.6 cm x 115.8 cm), mixed media, shows a Congkak board, which is symbolic of womanhood. |
| Title | Artist | Country | Date | Description |
| Mediation fa-lux awale | Ernest Dükü | Ivory Coast / France | 2009 | The drawing (19 cm x 13 cm), Chinese paper, shows a cross-shaped Awale board (photo) |
| 1 + 1 = 4 @ santawale | Ernest Dükü | Ivory Coast / France | 2008 | The drawing (19 cm x 13 cm), Chinese paper, shows a man standing on an Awale board (photo). |
| Amaatawale @ ishango dreams | Ernest Dükü | Ivory Coast / France | 2008 | The drawing (19 cm x 13 cm), Chinese paper, shows a bone, three brains and an Awale board (photo). |
| Conciabule amaatawale | Ernest Dükü | Ivory Coast / France | 2008 | The drawing (19 cm x 13 cm), Chinese paper, shows a backbone symbolized by an Awale board (photo). |
| FA-LUX @ étoile amaatawale | Ernest Dükü | Ivory Coast / France | 2008 | The drawing (19 cm x 13 cm), Chinese paper, shows a penis and an Awale board viewed from the side (photo). |
| Four talk awale | Ernest Dükü | Ivory Coast / France | 2008 | The drawing (19 cm x 13 cm), Chinese paper, shows a person holding an Awale board (photo). |
| Graceland amaatawale | Ernest Dükü | Ivory Coast / France | 2008 | The drawing (19 cm x 13 cm), Chinese paper, shows a person surrounded by the holes of an Awale board photo) |
| Infinitude amaatawale | Ernest Dükü | Ivory Coast / France | 2008 | The drawing (19 cm x 13 cm), Chinese paper, shows a man and an Awale board viewed from the side(photo). |
| MAA KAmeleon | Ernest Dükü | Ivory Coast / France | 2008 | The drawing (19 cm x 13 cm), Chinese paper, shows a head and an Awale board (photo). |
| Mediation fa-lux awale | Ernest Dükü | Ivory Coast / France | 2008 | The drawing (19 cm x 13 cm), Chinese paper, shows a three people, a red cross and the 12 holes of an Awale board (photo). |
| Traversée awale @ take 9 | Ernest Dükü | Ivory Coast / France | 2008 | The drawing (19 cm x 13 cm), Chinese paper, shows a man holding an Awale board (photo). |
| Two Greek or Franconian Ladies Sitting on a Divan and Playing Mancala | Jean-Etienne Liotard | Switzerland | about 1740 | The drawing (14,8 cm x 21,7 cm), red and black chalk, shows a mancala game played in the Levantine, probably Mandoli (more information). |
| Title | Artist | Country | Date | Description |
| AWARE/OWARE: A Game for Female Empowerment | Six art collectives (Woza Moya-Hillcrest Aids Trust, Ardmore Ceramics, Keiskamma Arts Trust, Hlabisa Basket Weavers, Greatmore Studios, Artist Proof Studio) | South Africa | 2011 | The sculptural public artwork serves as well as an innovative and interactive forum for the community to explore the issue of female empowerment (more information, photo). |
| Mancala | Jacqueline Frole | USA | 2011 | A public installation on AS220's Foo Fest, which consists of a 16-foot wooden mancala game for visitors to play by moving 3-5 lb. stone pieces around the board (more information). |
| Amulettissimo Ô my God | Ernest Dükü | Ivory Coast / France | 2010 | The installation shows an Awale board (photo). |
| Ankhamulettisimo | Ernest Dükü | Ivory Coast / France | 2009 | The installation shows spiritual objects and an Awale board (photo) |
| ANKHAWALE - YALLA LU YAA LA | Ernest Dükü | Ivory Coast / France | 2009 | The installation shows spiritual objects and an Awale board (more information) |
| Silence Bori Bana Ankhamulettisimo | Ernest Dükü | Ivory Coast / France | 2007 | The installation shows spiritual objects and an Awale board (more information). |
| SILENCE, SILENCE, SILENCE ANKHAMULETTISSIMO | Ernest Dükü | Ivory Coast / France | 2007 | The installation shows spiritual objects and an Awale board (more information). |
| Pintadattitude | Ernest Dükü | Ivory Coast / France | 2006 | The installation shows religious symbols and an Awale board (photo). |
| Amaatawale | Ernest Dükü | Ivory Coast / France | 2005 | The installation shows religious symbols and an Awale board (photo). |
| Title | Artist | Country | Date | Description |
| Sungka 1 | Ronna Manansala | Philippines | 2011 | The painting (90 cm x 70 cm), oil on canvas, shows two women playing Sungka (photo). |
| Sungka 2 | Ronna Manansala | Philippines | 2011 | The painting (90 cm x 70 cm), oil on canvas, shows two girls playing Sungka, while their mother is watching them (photo). |
| Deep In Thought | Judy Scotchford | Australia | 2009 | The painting (53 cm x 43 cm), mixed media, shows a man of Ereri Multi-cultural village (Kenya) playing a game of mancala (more information). |
| Playing the Ô Ăn Quan Game | Dai Giang Nguyen | Vietnam | 2009 | The painting (120 cm x 127 cm), acrylic, shows six children playing watching a game of Ô Quan (more information). |
| Aligulimane | G. L. N. Simha | India | 2007 | The painting (30 cm x 35 cm), opaque water colors on paper, shows a game of Aligulimane between a grandmother and her granddaughter. |
| Untitled | Bitú Alves | Cabo Verde | early 2000s | The mural on a wall in the middle of São Vicente Island, near Pé de Verde, shows men who are playing Ouril,description. |
| Ouril Players | David Levy Lima | Cabo Verde | 2000 | The painting shows a game of Ouri (also known as Ouril) in progress. |
| Urim Hands | Euclides Eustáquio Lima | Cabo Verde | 2000 | The painting shows a game of Ouri (also known as Urim) in progress. |
| Congkak Congak | Juharia Said | Malaysia | 1998 | The painting (91 cm x 150 cm), woodblock and watercolour on paper, shows a Congkak board. The row on the right has one hole less than the row to its left. |
| Uril Board | Edith Borges | Cabo Verde / Sweden | 1997 | The painting, oil on canvas, shows an Ouri board (the game is also known as Uril). |
| Traditional Treatments | Said A. Mukumba | Tanzania | 1996 | The painting (60 cm x 60 cm) shows the daily life of villagers, e.g. women carrying wood and water, men playing Bao, etc. (photo). |
| Untitled | João Baptista Lima | Cabo Verde / Portugal | 1990s (?) | The painting shows two children playing Ouri (photo). |
| Bao | Paul Peter Ndembo | Tanzania | 1987 | The painting (25 cm x 18 cm), watercolor on posterboard with glassine windowed overlay for lettering, shows two Bao players and one kibitz and looks like a stamp (photo). |
| Game of Uril | Manuel Figueira | Cabo Verde | 1973 | The painting shows a game of Ouri (also known as Uril) in progress. |
| Untitled | Prince Twins Seven Seven, born Prince Taiwo Olaniyi Oyewale-Toyeje Oyelale Osuntoki | Nigeria | 1970 | The painting shows two men playing Ayo, a variant of Oware. It is depicted on the cover of a book on Layli Goobalay. |
| Playing the Ô Ăn Quan Game | Nguyễn Phan Chánh | Vietnam | 1931 | The silk painting hows children who are playing Ô Ăn Quan. The painting was later even shown on a stamp. |
| A Cairene Café | Walter Tyndale | UK | 1912 | The watercolor painting, which was used as an illustration of the book "An artist in Egypt", shows L'ab al-Akil. |
| Playing a Game of Mancala | Hermann Reisz | Austria | 1897 | The painting (54.6cm x 44.5 cm), oil on canvas, shows an oriental scene with two men playing mancala, maybe Mandoli or Mangala (more information). |
| Ashanti Architecture | Thomas Edward Bowdich | UK | 1817 | The painting, a book illustration, shows two men playing Oware (photo). |
| Reception in a Turkish Harem | Jean-Baptiste van Mour | France | between 1725-1737 (exact date unknown) | The painting (58 cm x 98,8 cm), oil on canvas shows a scene of two womem playing Mangala in the Topkapi Palace of Sultan Ahmed III in Constantinople. |
| Odalisques Playing a Mancala Game in the Harem | Francesco Guardi | Venetia | 18th century | The painting (45.5 cm x 64 cm), oil on canvas, shows two female slaves (assistants to the concubines and wives) in an Ottoman seraglio playing Mangala. |
| Surname-i Humayun 367-A | Nakkaş Osman | Ottoman Empire | 1582 | The painting (a miniature) shows the circumcision ceremony of Prince Mehmet. Two men are playing Mangala. |
| Title | Artist | Country | Date | Description |
| Playing Sungka | Manuel Rodriguez, Sr. | Philippines | (?) | The print shows two women playing Sungka in the abstract figurative style typical for Rodriguez. |
| Turkish Girls Who Play Mangala | M. Le Hay, after a work of Jean-Baptiste van Mour | France | 1714 | The print (36 cm x 25 cm) shows a game of Mangala in progress. |
| Title | Artist | Country | Date | Description |
| Mancala | Linda Hoffman & Blase Provitola | USA | 2010 | The sculpture is an oversized mancala board that several people or a family can play together (video). |
| SILENT GAME | Willem Boshoff | South Africa | 2009 | A sculpture also called "Murabaraba Stone" (more information). |
| Title | Artist | Country | Date | Description |
| Omweso I | Bobby Britnell | UK | 2012 | Textile artwork, which is "inspired by the ancient game of Omweso from Uganda. The fabrics used have been thermofax printed and bonded using plain and dyed natural scoured cotton with the addition of bark cloth from Uganda" (more information about Omweso I; general information) |
| Omweso II | Bobby Britnell | UK | 2012 | Textile artwork, which is "inspired by the ancient game of Omweso from Uganda. The fabrics used have been thermofax printed and bonded using plain and dyed natural scoured cotton with the addition of bark cloth from Uganda" (general information) |
| Omweso III | Bobby Britnell | UK | 2012 | Textile artwork, which is "inspired by the ancient game of Omweso from Uganda. The fabrics used have been thermofax printed and bonded using plain and dyed natural scoured cotton with the addition of bark cloth from Uganda" (general information) |
| Omweso IV | Bobby Britnell | UK | 2012 | Textile artwork, which is "inspired by the ancient game of Omweso from Uganda. The fabrics used have been thermofax printed and bonded using plain and dyed natural scoured cotton with the addition of bark cloth from Uganda" (general information) |
| Omweso V | Bobby Britnell | UK | 2012 | Textile artwork, which is "inspired by the ancient game of Omweso from Uganda. The fabrics used have been thermofax printed and bonded using plain and dyed natural scoured cotton with the addition of bark cloth from Uganda" ([general information) |
| Omweso VI | Bobby Britnell | UK | 2012 | Textile artwork, which is "inspired by the ancient game of Omweso from Uganda. The fabrics used have been thermofax printed and bonded using plain and dyed natural scoured cotton with the addition of bark cloth from Uganda" (general information) |
| Ghosting | Roshini Kempadoo | UK | 2004 | Interactive digital artwork, in which the viewer is "invited to remove and place stones in a board-a variation of the pit and pebble game warri." |
See also
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Copyright
© Ralf Gering
Under the CC by-sa 2.5 license.