Exhibitions
PARIS TRIBAL 2026
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PARIS TRIBAL 2026
Julien Flak
Katsina doll
North America | Arizona
Katsina doll
Arizona
Pahlik Mana Katsina
Butterfly Maiden Katsina doll
Hopi
Carved wood (cottonwood), pigments, feathers
Circa 1950-1960
Height: 18 cm – 7 in.
Provenance
Collected on the Second Mesa, Arizona, U.S.A.
Private collection, France
Galerie Flak, Paris
Private collection, France
Pahlik Mana miniature doll 18 cm / Galerie Flak
Price: on request
"This Hopi doll represents the goddess of maize. In the crenelated frame around the head, you’ll see the clouds over the mountains; in the small chequerboard at the centre of the forehead, the ear of maize; and around the mouth, the rainbow [...]. Is this not poetry as we continue to hear it?”
(André Breton, Le Littéraire, 1946)
Kachina dolls (or katsinam) represent spirits or gods from the pantheon of the Pueblo peoples in the American Southwest. Given to children, kachina dolls constituted a pedagogical tool allowing them to familiarize themselves with the spiritual world and perpetuating knowledge of the founding myths on which their society was based.
In the Hopi pantheon, Pahlik Mana is known as the Butterfly Maiden or the Corn-Grinding Maiden.
This female kachina figure appears at various times during the Hopi ceremonial year. Her performances are colorful dances who are seen as prayers for rain and bountiful harvests.
Alph H. Secakuku notes in “Hopi Kachina Tradition: Following the Sun & Moon” that when Pahlik Mana appears, certain key Kiva members must fast and abstain from contact with the opposite sex. The fasting achieves spiritual concentration and dedication through self-purification of the mind and spirit.
(André Breton, Le Littéraire, 1946)
Kachina dolls (or katsinam) represent spirits or gods from the pantheon of the Pueblo peoples in the American Southwest. Given to children, kachina dolls constituted a pedagogical tool allowing them to familiarize themselves with the spiritual world and perpetuating knowledge of the founding myths on which their society was based.
In the Hopi pantheon, Pahlik Mana is known as the Butterfly Maiden or the Corn-Grinding Maiden.
This female kachina figure appears at various times during the Hopi ceremonial year. Her performances are colorful dances who are seen as prayers for rain and bountiful harvests.
Alph H. Secakuku notes in “Hopi Kachina Tradition: Following the Sun & Moon” that when Pahlik Mana appears, certain key Kiva members must fast and abstain from contact with the opposite sex. The fasting achieves spiritual concentration and dedication through self-purification of the mind and spirit.
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North America
Galerie Flak
x
Kamel Mennour
Collab
Galerie Flak
x
Kamel Mennour
Collab’
GALERIE FLAK X GALERIE KAMEL MENNOUR
Exhibition
“Maryan, Une Peinture Vérité”
Exhibition Curator: Lucas Djaou
March 31st, 2022 – May 28th, 2022
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Collab
Plains Gunstock club
Archives | USA
Plains Gunstock club
USA
War Club
Northern Plains, USA
19th century
Carved wood, pigments and metal
Height: 71 cm – 29 in.
Provenance
Loudmer Paris, 28 juin 1991, lot 184
Collection Claude Meyer, Paris
Pierre Bergé & Associés, Paris, 2 avril 2012, lot 218
Collection Michel Zerolo, Paris
Sold
The gunstock war club, so named for its resemblance to the wooden butt of a rifle, occupies a distinctive place in the combat traditions of the Plains. Its precise origin remains debated: some scholars interpret the form as a conscious response to the introduction of European firearms in the 17th century, while others suggest that its angular silhouette was primarily developed for balance, reach, and striking power.
By the late 18th and early 19th centuries, however, Plains warriors had clearly adapted the form to parallel their enemies’ weapons, transforming it into both an effective arm and a symbolic appropriation of foreign power.
Employed in close combat across much of the 19th century and closely associated with Sioux, Pawnee, and Osage fighters, the club could deliver crushing blows, deflect attacks, or pierce with its inserted blade. At once practical and emblematic, it became a weapon feared on the battlefield and admired for its craftsmanship.
The present example is distinguished by painted ornament of unusual refinement. One side bears twin sunburst motifs, radiant symbols of life and power, while the reverse is adorned with the rare incised image of the Thunderbird, a being of the upper world whose presence affirms both spiritual protection and ceremonial resonance. Joined together, these designs underscore the dual potency of the weapon—at once an instrument of warfare and a marker of personal and sacred identity.
By the late 18th and early 19th centuries, however, Plains warriors had clearly adapted the form to parallel their enemies’ weapons, transforming it into both an effective arm and a symbolic appropriation of foreign power.
Employed in close combat across much of the 19th century and closely associated with Sioux, Pawnee, and Osage fighters, the club could deliver crushing blows, deflect attacks, or pierce with its inserted blade. At once practical and emblematic, it became a weapon feared on the battlefield and admired for its craftsmanship.
The present example is distinguished by painted ornament of unusual refinement. One side bears twin sunburst motifs, radiant symbols of life and power, while the reverse is adorned with the rare incised image of the Thunderbird, a being of the upper world whose presence affirms both spiritual protection and ceremonial resonance. Joined together, these designs underscore the dual potency of the weapon—at once an instrument of warfare and a marker of personal and sacred identity.
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Archives
Hopi carved figure
North America | Arizona
Hopi carved figure
Arizona
Social Dancer
Circa 1900s-1920s
Carved wood (cottonwood), pigments, corn fiber
Height: 21 cm – 8 ¼ in.
Social Dancer figure / Galerie Flak
Price on request
Carved from cottonwood root, this Hopi figure represents a social dancer rather than a masked Katsina spirit, highlighting the artistry and diversity of Hopi Pueblo carving traditions. Unlike traditional Katsina dolls, social dancer figures frequently depict male or female participants from community ceremonies and do not wear masks—often showing individualized features, hairstyles, and dance attire. Such carvings commemorate non-Katsina performances integral to Hopi village life, reflecting both the ceremonial and social cycles observed in Arizona’s Hopi communities.
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North America
Galerie Flak
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Galerie Boquet
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Galerie Flak
x
Galerie Boquet
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GALERIE FLAK x GALERIE BOQUET
Exposition
“The Roots of the Dream”
Tribal Art, Cubism and Surrealism
Sur Invitation 2025
19-21 September
Photos © Adrien Thibault
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Katsina doll
Archives | Arizona
Katsina doll
Arizona
New Corn Katsina Doll
Sio Hemis Katsina
Hopi
Circa 1930s
Carved wood (cottonwood), pigments
Height: 26 cm – 10 ¼ in.
Provenance
Collection Nancy Sue & Judson C. Ball, Arizona
Bonhams San Francisco, 14 May 2012 lot 1066
Private collection, California
Sio Hemis Katsina Judson Ball / Galerie Flak
Price: on request
Katsina dolls (or Katsinam) represent spirits or gods from the pantheon of the Pueblo peoples in the American Southwest. Given to children, Katsina dolls constituted a pedagogical tool allowing them to familiarize themselves with the spiritual world and perpetuating knowledge of the founding myths on which their society was based.
This doll, adorned with a multitude of symbols related to moisture and agriculture, represents Sio Hemis, the New Corn or Ripening Corn Katsina. Hemis is one of the most iconic Katsinam in the Hopi pantheon. This spirit calls forth the rains that will nurture the growth of corn, the staple food for the Hopi people. Hemis derives its name from Jemez, neighbors of the Hopi residing along the Rio Grande.
Hemis dancers are present at the opening of the Niman dances, the Home-Going Ceremony that marks the conclusion of the Katsina season. At the end of the summer, after Niman, the Katsinam depart from the mesas, leaving the Hopi people for six long months. Hemis is one of the most fitting Katsinam for this farewell ceremony, as his presence indicates that the corn harvest is assured for the coming season. Therefore, he can leave the village with the inhabitants feeling secure, knowing that their sustenance is guaranteed.
Regarding the Nancy Sue and Judson C. Ball Collection of Native American Art: the Balls began avidly collecting Hopi and Zuni Katsina dolls in the 1970s, though Judson Ball’s fascination had started much earlier, as a child in the 1950s, when he first visited a Hopi reservation. Over the years, he came to know notable carvers such as Wilson Tawaquaptewa and Jimmie Kewanwytewa. Their passion for Katsinam stemmed not only from their charm as artworks, but also from the way "they represent the continuum or circle of life."
This doll, adorned with a multitude of symbols related to moisture and agriculture, represents Sio Hemis, the New Corn or Ripening Corn Katsina. Hemis is one of the most iconic Katsinam in the Hopi pantheon. This spirit calls forth the rains that will nurture the growth of corn, the staple food for the Hopi people. Hemis derives its name from Jemez, neighbors of the Hopi residing along the Rio Grande.
Hemis dancers are present at the opening of the Niman dances, the Home-Going Ceremony that marks the conclusion of the Katsina season. At the end of the summer, after Niman, the Katsinam depart from the mesas, leaving the Hopi people for six long months. Hemis is one of the most fitting Katsinam for this farewell ceremony, as his presence indicates that the corn harvest is assured for the coming season. Therefore, he can leave the village with the inhabitants feeling secure, knowing that their sustenance is guaranteed.
Regarding the Nancy Sue and Judson C. Ball Collection of Native American Art: the Balls began avidly collecting Hopi and Zuni Katsina dolls in the 1970s, though Judson Ball’s fascination had started much earlier, as a child in the 1950s, when he first visited a Hopi reservation. Over the years, he came to know notable carvers such as Wilson Tawaquaptewa and Jimmie Kewanwytewa. Their passion for Katsinam stemmed not only from their charm as artworks, but also from the way "they represent the continuum or circle of life."
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Archives
Galerie Flak
x
Crosby Studios
Collab
Galerie Flak
x
Crosby Studios
Collab’
GALERIE FLAK x CROSBY STUDIOS
By HARRY NURIEV
Exhibition
“VIS-A-VIS”
Parcours des Mondes 2025
9-14 September
Photos © Jenia Filatova x Crosby Studios
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Galerie Flak
x
Galerie BSL
Collab
Galerie Flak
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Galerie BSL
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GALERIE FLAK X GALERIE BSL
Exhibition
“The Living Quintessence”
Focus : Ayala Serfaty
Summer 2025
June 5th – August 30th
Photo © Alain Cornu
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Collab
Galerie Flak
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193 Gallery
Collab
Galerie Flak
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193 Gallery
Collab’
GALERIE FLAK x 193 GALLERY
Roots exhibition
Ancient arts meet contemporary creation
Paris Tribal 2025
13-18 May
Photos © Nicolas Brasseur
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Collab