Being a technical scientist and not an ethnologist or art historian, I appreciate any expression of art, and African and Indonesian art in particular. As a result of a close personal relationship with Madagascar, I discovered its impressive grave sculptures and their link with Indonesian statuary. My interest then extended to include the many-faceted statuary of the Lobi in Burkina Faso and the people of Togo and their neighbors.

As a scientist, my interest in the context of these works of art grew rapidly and since my daily professional work comprises the publication of the research results of my research group, it was a logical next step to start publishing my research findings concerning the extraordinary art of these peoples.

The intention in my publications is to always base my findings on a thorough analysis of the state-of-the-art knowledge. All sources are disclosed and their credibility is discussed in such a way that the conclusions drawn are traceable. My research and the publications relating to African and Indonesian art are thus based on the scientific standards, as it is the case in all the professional publications of my research group.

Having no commercial interests – my sole interests are the art and its context and sharing and discussing my findings – all the publications can be downloaded free of charge and hardcopies are sold at a price that just covers the production costs.

September 2016, Prof. Dr Thomas Keller

Contact: info@statuary-in-context.ch