With Afrikando, Jaime Hayon builds a bridge between continents, cultures, and centuries of craftsmanship. This set of seven glass vessels—each a unique character yet part of a unified “family”—represents a bold fusion of African decorative traditions and the timeless art of Venetian glassblowing. Designed expressly for the Milwaukee Art Museum’s permanent collection, the work draws visual inspiration from African masks and ceremonial costumes seen by Hayon in ethnographic museums across the globe. Subtle mask-like features and ornamental forms speak to ancestral memory, while playful colors and whimsical silhouettes embody Hayon’s signature visual language—a mix of surrealism, humor, and storytelling.
Crafted on the island of Murano, each vessel showcases masterful technique: blown into molds, shaped with molten glass additions, and finished with detailed etching. But what sets Afrikando apart is its poetic sense of balance—the components are not fused but instead rest delicately upon one another, creating an impression of lightness and impermanence. Funnels hover, red staffs perch, and layers of glass filter light in unexpected ways. The result is not just a series of objects, but an expressive narrative in glass—where each piece speaks of cultural dialogue, migration of forms, and the transformative power of global influence. Afrikando is, at once, a celebration and a meditation: on tradition, hybridity, and the possibility of finding harmony in contrast.