Mask c. 1940s

This wooden mask was made by an artist of the Tabwa people, but we don’t know when. Imagine the artist carefully selecting just the right piece of wood, feeling its weight and texture, maybe even listening to its grain. The carving is so deliberate, so present. You can see the maker's hand in the smooth curves and sharp lines that define the face. The eyes are hollow, almost like empty sockets, but they invite you to look through the surface, to another realm. The mouth is open, perhaps caught in a silent chant. The wood itself tells a story of time and touch. It reminds me of how artists everywhere, in every era, are engaged in a silent conversation through the materials they choose and the marks they make. We work through our hands; it's where intention meets material. These masks hold so much, both seen and unseen, and shift our gaze toward new ways of seeing.