Panel c. 20th century

This Panel, made by the Kuba people, is at the Minneapolis Institute of Art. It's a textile, so it’s all about process, of building up the surface, layer by layer. The design feels both structured and off-kilter at the same time. The diamonds step down the panel in orderly rows, but each one is slightly different, full of variation. Look at the texture of that ochre color, it’s not smooth, you can really see the warp and weft. The dark brown lines are slightly irregular, they breathe. It reminds me of the way Agnes Martin would draw a grid, with all its subtle imperfections. The whole panel has a kind of rhythm to it, the way one shape plays off another, suggesting an underlying geometric structure which is always on the verge of collapsing into pure, unbridled chaos. It’s really wonderful.