Village Life Under the Cocoa Tree 2007

Curator: Twins Seven Seven's "Village Life Under the Cocoa Tree," from 2007—what a tapestry of textures! The orange border positively vibrates against the figures. It just pulses with... well, tell me what it sparks in you. Editor: There’s an immediate sense of labor and community. I'm struck by how the dense patterning creates a collective experience but the faces feel quite isolated within that context. Curator: Isolated, yet linked by those incredible eyes! Look how they observe in multiple directions—seeing past, present, and perhaps even future realities, dreams mingling with toil. Twins Seven Seven uses mixed media on paper—paint, textile, and ink—a literal layering of realities. What’s not immediately obvious is how rooted this is in Yoruba mythology. He wasn't just painting scenes, but invoking spirits and histories. Editor: Absolutely, and it's precisely that layering which gives rise to a really compelling dialogue around exploitation. I can't help but see parallels with contemporary issues around fair trade and the cocoa industry’s neo-colonial structures where the global North profits disproportionately. Curator: You see a dissonance where I perceive symbiosis, the push-and-pull of communal survival mirrored in those vibrant colours and crowded forms. Maybe it’s both. The leaning figure holding a rod almost looks to be pleading. Perhaps it's with the earth itself to share its wealth, you know? Editor: Yes, a complex blend of hope and struggle… but a potent commentary all the same. Look at the composition as an argument rather than a simple reflection. Curator: Perhaps we’re both right. It has that evocative power doesn’t it, to suggest without dictating? I walk away wondering what those figures would say if I could truly listen. Editor: And what would a truly decolonized trade system look like if the land and people themselves were allowed to lead? Powerful piece.