Figure c. 4000

This “Figure” was carved out of stone by an artist from the Valdivia culture. Look at the way it's been formed, it's so basic, so reduced, like a child's idea of a person. The stone looks like it has been eroded by time and weather, it has a sandy kind of texture. What I find amazing here is the face; those rectangular eyes. Those are so, so cool. The whole figure is composed of stacked rectangles; it’s like a landscape. It reminds me of work by Forrest Bess, where forms are simplified to an essential, symbolic state. Art is about this kind of conversation, right? With the past, with each other, with ourselves. It's about finding new ways to see and feel, and that's exactly what this little stone figure does.