Panel c. 20th century

This Kuba panel is a textile artwork with dyed raffia, and I love how it just dives right into pattern. The material has a quality that’s both handmade and precise, with a limited palette of dark brown against a natural, neutral ground. The woven surface is divided into quadrants, each featuring a unique geometric pattern. Look closely at the bottom left corner, the diamonds seem to almost float with the ground. The lines have a hand-drawn quality which make them feel almost alive! The Kuba people, from the Democratic Republic of Congo, have a rich tradition of textile art, often incorporating complex geometric designs. This panel reminds me of the work of Anni Albers, who translated textile traditions into the language of modernism, and in this piece, like in Albers, the process of making is so present. This is art where the beauty lies in variation and repetition.