Mask c. mid 20th century

This ‘Mask’ was made by an artist from the Temne people, but its date of creation has been lost to us. I really love how the dark smudges around the eyes and mouth contrast with the earthy tones of the rest of the piece, it's really striking. It’s like a visual shorthand for something that might be beyond words. Look at the texture, the way the artist has built up the form with these horizontal bands, almost like the rings of a tree, or maybe the contours of a landscape. And then there's that smaller figure perched on top, gazing out into the distance. You can see the way the wood grain shows through the pigment, giving the surface a kind of warmth and depth. I'm thinking about Louise Bourgeois, and how she also was so interested in the human form and the possibilities of its abstraction. It's about embracing the unknown, the unresolved, and finding beauty in the process.