Woman's neckpiece c. 1950

This is a Woman's neckpiece created by an artist from the Dinka culture. The blue and black beaded rows cascade down like miniature painted brushstrokes. I wonder about the hand that made this, patiently threading each bead, and how it felt to see this artwork slowly come into being. I can imagine the dialogue that the artist had with the materials, making intuitive decisions about color, balance, and form. The white central piece is the focal point and gives the whole thing a spine, it's echoed by two horn-like pieces at the base. The color choices seem to be very clear, primary even, and the symmetry is so calming. It’s like looking at a field of marks that have turned into something else. I think about how the artist might have been inspired by the world around them. Every artist is in an ongoing conversation, taking cues from the past and translating them into something new. There's so much uncertainty and ambiguity in making. It's all about finding a way to express something that can’t be put into words.