Sometimes a receptacle is just a receptacle, but usually it is much more: an instrument of ritual, an expression of communal aesthetics, an ingenious use of material or an occasion for surface decoration. All conditions apply in full to “Receptacle: African Containers,” a stunning exhibition at the Axis Gallery in Chelsea. This nearly continental survey excludes ceramic vessels to concentrate on containers made of natural materials, especially gourds – and on man-made objects transformed through decoration … An invaluable lesson: the prevailing sense of economy and respect for nature, two things in disastrously short supply these days.

– Roberta Smith