Mask

This is a Senufo mask from an unknown date. You can find it in the Minneapolis Institute of Art, crafted in wood. The making of this object seems so intuitive, led by the hand, eye and the material itself. I’m drawn to the tusks, or are they horns?, which frame the face, curving inward as if to protect the wearer, but also jutting out as an expression of power. Look at how the teeth are carved with such sharp precision, and how the overall texture is rough, almost aged, which gives it a sense of history and depth. I imagine the sculptor going at the wood with various tools, carving away to reveal the form within. In a way, it reminds me of the kind of back-and-forth I have in my own practice between adding and subtracting, a constant negotiation between intention and accident. It also makes me think of Picasso, who was so deeply inspired by African masks; the way this carver has simplified and abstracted the features feels so modern, so relevant. Art is like one big conversation after all.