Female figure Date Unknown

Editor: Here we have a wooden sculpture entitled "Female Figure," believed to be from the Yoruba people, and its date is unknown. I’m immediately struck by the dark, polished surface of the wood. What’s interesting to you about this particular work? Curator: As a materialist, I am drawn to the carving process, how the artist's labor transformed the raw wood into this stylized form. The smooth, dark finish suggests significant handling, ritual use, and perhaps the application of oils over time, which tells its own story. Have you considered the social context surrounding this material choice, the availability and significance of wood within Yoruba culture? Editor: I hadn't thought about the specific type of wood. Does the fact that it’s wood versus, say, bronze, change how we interpret the figure’s purpose or the message? Curator: Absolutely. Wood, unlike bronze, is a readily accessible material, suggesting broader participation in the creation and consumption of such objects, or a more localised purpose, and challenging hierarchies associated with "high" art and material value. What labor processes do you imagine were required to extract and shape it? How does that contrast to casting processes? Editor: I guess I hadn’t really separated the artistry from the daily life or environmental factors that would’ve played a part. Thinking about it that way makes it more grounded, somehow. Curator: Exactly. This Yoruba carving becomes more than just an aesthetic object, but reveals social systems of labour and production, giving it an anthropological weight to unpack. What further questions does this material-focused view raise for you about the function or symbolism of the figure? Editor: Now I’m wondering where the wood was sourced and if that impacted the figure’s value or sacredness in any way! I hadn’t really thought about that interplay. Curator: Precisely. Focusing on materiality unlocks a deeper understanding of the artwork's cultural and social role.