Two Faces

Bruce Obomeyoma Onobrakpeya

A variant impression of "Two Faces" can be found on the website of the Kó Art Space in Lagos, Nigeria. https://ko-artspace.com/artists/43-bruce-onobrakpeya/works/33-bruce-onobrakpeya-two-faces-1966/

Onobrakeya refers back to his Nigerian heritage to create this image; the masks, tapestries, ceramics, and iconography. Two faces emerge from a series of squares, perhaps tiles, each composed of smaller elements of the larger structure.

Onobrakpeya received formal training from the Western tradition of representational art at the Nigerian College of Arts, Science and Technology, now the Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria between 1957–1962. Here, he began to further experiment with the motifs and symbols related to Nigerian folklore, myths and legends. His works are a unique fusion of Western techniques and materials masterfully blended with indigenous and cultural themes.

From 1978 to 1986, Onobrakpeya developed a writing style called Ibiebe. An invented script of ideographic geometric and curvilinear glyphs, Ibiebe reflects the artist's knowledge of his Urhobo heritage, its symbols and the proverbs they elicit, as well as his appreciation of Chinese, Japanese, Ghanaian and Nigerian calligraphy.