The Ife Muse by Mary Damilola Adesakin
Explore Mondoir Studio
Medium: Thread and Acrylic on canvas
Dimensions: 21 x 26 in
Year: 2026
Price: $1200.00 USD
Status: available
Inspired by the ancient Ife bronze heads, this work explores identity, memory, and Yoruba heritage. I use thread to reinterpret their facial markings, creating a connection between the past and the present. Through this piece, I celebrate a rich cultural history and keep its story alive in a contemporary way.
Why collect this work?
A dense grid of descending facial lines distinguishes the sitter from the broad, patterned headwrap, translating historical reference into a contemporary portrait structured by repetition.
- Adesakin states that her practice uses thread to connect fragments of memory and identity. Here, that concern is focused through her reported reference to ancient Ife bronze heads and Yoruba heritage.
- In the photograph, the turned shoulders and direct sideways gaze create a poised tension. Closely spaced lines contour the forehead, cheeks, lips and jaw, while the enlarged headwrap extends the figure’s silhouette against a relatively uniform grey field.
- The documented medium is thread and acrylic on canvas. Their combination allows linear marks to function as drawn description and physical material, while broader painted areas establish the face, garment and ground.
- The work is particularly useful for considering how a contemporary portrait can cite an older sculptural language without copying its form, shifting facial pattern from cast metal into textile-based line.
About the Artist
Mary Damilola Adesakin
Mary Damilola Adesakin is an artist on Mondoir Studio. Artistic discipline: textile. Based in Ile-Ife, NG.
Nationality: Nigerien
My practice explores vulnerability, struggle, and resilience within both personal and collective contexts.
