Child of Chokwe 1

"Child of Chokwe 1"

Before being purchased, this piece was the first installment of a series entitled "The Children of The Diaspora" , which is currently still under production.

Meaning behind piece:

The mask displayed in the portrait is a depiction of one from the Chokwe Tribe of Southern Congo. These masks represented many different themes and celebrations. One specific detail about these masks are that they were carved to resemble a woman's face, bearing large lips, wide forehead and long hair.

Men would wear these masks as a rite of passage from boyhood to manhood. The scars under the eyes of the masks represented the tears a mother would shed out of pride and pain. Although she was proud that her boy was becoming a man, she also felt sorrow from knowing the codependent bond they once shared would be shattered due to the boy seeking independence.

The beauty in this piece is that the man wears a business suit as a symbol of the adulthood he worked for. Is he putting on the mask as a way to assert his manhood, or is he removing the mask as a way to revert back to the childlike state he once found comfort in? From the perspective of an African American, you can also read the mask as a symbol of a culture and the desperation we possess to detach from a life that was forced upon us and reestablish the bond with our roots.

*Only 7 Prints of these are available, after which, this piece will no longer be available for consumption*