ARTEAK - Traditional Ritual Artifacts

Bōcio/Fetiche

Powerful fetiche with embedded ritual materials

Materials: wood, iron, organic matter, plastic

Height: 28cm

Provenance: French private collection

Origin: Fon people, Benin, mid-20th century

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About artifacts

Corded Bōcio

Cords and iron spikes on the bōcio evoke both historical trauma and spiritual force—once symbols of bondage during the slave trade, now signs of protection and ritual control.

Iron spikes pierce the figure, calling upon Gu, the Vodun deity of war and metal, to defend and strike when needed. The thick, dark patina, built up through repeated sacrificial offerings, marks its active role in Vodun practices. It is through this continual process of binding objects together, this layering and transformation that the bōcio becomes not only spiritually potent, powerful, but also a unique and evolving work of art.

Bōcio: Power figures as an art expression of Vodu

Origins

Bōcio are power figures (bo) representing the presence of the deceased (chio), created to protect against misfortune, witchcraft, and death. Meaning “empowered cadaver,” each bōcio is rooted in Vodun belief, where invisible forces shape human life and can be channeled through ritual. These figures act as tools for healing, defense, and justice in response to personal and social threats.

They are not symbolic, but active presences. During the transatlantic slave trade, nearly three million people were taken from the Gulf of Guinea. In that context, Vodun became a powerful means of resilience and remembrance. Today, especially in Benin, it remains central to honoring that history and navigating contemporary life. Still used today, bōcio continue to evolve with the communities they serve. Their meaning is not fixed, but responsive. As such, they stand as enduring expressions of belief, protection, and the power to turn spiritual force into form.

Art and spirituality

Their form emerges through sacred process—materials are chosen for their spiritual charge, activated through offerings and gestures. Their striking and often unsettling appearance reflects their dual function: to guard and to attack, to contain and to release.

The creation of a bōcio is itself a ritual performance. Vodun priests carefully select each material for its symbolic charge, then bind, pierce, and activate the object through offerings and incantations. No part is decorative alone; every addition speaks. The result is a figure of action and intent—commissioned to protect its owner, to attract or repel forces, to punish wrongdoing or restore balance. These are not static artifacts but active presences, shaped by their use and their interaction with the unseen. Bōcio reflect a worldview in which art is inseparable from spirit because their very form emerges from sacred labor. Their ambiguous aesthetics—at once fearsome and beautiful, raw and composed—mirror their dual role: to guard and to attack, to shelter and to confront. They are deeply emotional objects, meant to provoke, unsettle, and empower. Though rooted in the historical realities of colonialism, violence, and resistance, bōcio continue to evolve and function in contemporary Vodun practice. Their meaning is not fixed, but responsive—just like the communities they serve. As such, they remain enduring symbols of survival, transformation, and the artistic power of belief made visible.