A large round Bobo sun mask from Burkina Faso, a wall hanging in a white-washed finish. Sun masks appear at agricultural and harvest festivals, honouring the sun and its power to bring a healthy crop.
The chequerboard of light and dark geometry can be read in ever more layered ways — the play of pale and dark pigment standing for innocence and knowledge. The bold, abstract forms of the Bwa and Bobo were an important influence on early 20th-century Western art.
