Ere Ibeji c. 20th century

This wooden sculpture, called Ere Ibeji, was made by a Yoruba artist. It's this small figure, standing so still, carved from wood. I wonder about the artist's hands, the way they worked with the material to shape the wood, to evoke a presence. The wood has this beautiful deep brown tone, and it makes me think of the earth, of things that grow. The artist really paid attention to the details, like the headdress or the facial expression, and you can tell how carefully they were carved. Making art is like having a conversation with the material, this back and forth, like the wood is talking to you and telling you what it wants to be. It is an embodied expression which embraces ambiguity, allowing for multiple interpretations and meaning over fixed or definitive readings.