Maruvian Bakuba Mask

Original - Oil on gallery wrap canvas
10" x 10"

The lines of this mask were a challenge to translate into Plastic Space and were fun to explore. This art producing group from the Congo is known for their elaborate traditional carvings typically using many lines and elaborate hair renditions. Once more, I elaborate that these masks are not “EVIL” as most of the colonial Caucasian archaeologist claim and have managed to convince the world that they are. I was personally told by an African friend and artist that this is what the Africans told the colonial explorers who were stealing their masks and taking them away. It was an attempt to stop them from taking their masks and carvings which were traditional culture building tools. Many were buried to hide them and those using natural wood and fibers were lost to the elements. Many of the bronze carvings and masks are still buried around villages today.