Izi Ibo elephant mask “Ogbodo Enyi”, Nigeria, c. 1970

Various Igbo tribes inhabit the Cross River area on the border between Nigeria and Cameroon. This mask is probably from the Abakaliki area in the northeastern part of the Niger River Delta, which is a forest and swamp area where the Igbo-Izi live. The elephant spirit mask, ‘Ogbodo Enyi’, is carved and used to ward off evil spirits and bad luck in a costume show, often associated with a very important event. The mask combines elephant and human forms, in a powerful and strikingly abstract conception. Height: 57 cm Reproduced: Catalogue “Africa Babel: the Art of a Continent”, p.- 200
 
Exhibitions:
2022-2024 Island of Fuerteventura “Art Africa: Ancestral Light”. Lighthouse of the Entallada. Cabildo of Fuerteventura.
2021-2022 Panama City. Government of Panama. “Art Africa: the spirit of the ancestors”. Ministry of Culture Headquarters. Casco Viejo.
2019-2020 Santa Cruz de Tenerife. Caja Canarias Foundation. “Africa-Babel: the art of a Continent”. Headquarters Plaza Patriotismo.
2013-2015 Museum of Art of Africa and Oceania (Madao). La Granja de San Ildefonso, Segovia.
2005 “Black Africa”, Leather Museum.
2004 “Black Africa”. Caixa Laietana Foundation, Barcelona. Main exhibition hall