Figure c. 1920

This wooden figure was made by an Ibibio artist, sometime in the past, but when exactly we don't know. It’s all about this carving, it's like a record of gestures, cuts, and gouges. I'm drawn to the way the artist shaped the wood. You can almost feel the give and take, the rhythm of the hand and the tool. The texture is built from a series of marks, none are disguised, all are somehow proud to be on display. The figure wears what looks like western clothes, an overcoat, shorts and boots, maybe he is a soldier or a missionary? His teeth are bared in a grimace. Look at the textures around the mouth, the cuts have a directness that really hits you. It reminds me of some of the German Expressionist woodcuts, like Kirchner, but so much more raw and untamed. In both, the artists use the material to push emotion to the surface, reminding us that art is an ongoing conversation across time, about how we see and feel the world.