On Thursday, December 11, 2019, the National Gallery of Art (NGA) opened an exhibition in honour of Pa Joseph Alufa Igbinovia, the carver of FESTAC ’77 mask, Queen Idia. Themed, FESTAC ’77, Unmasking the unsung hero, the event, which held in Benin City, Edo State also saw the presentation of a book on Alufa. In this interview with GREGORY AUSTIN NWAKUNOR, he talked about his art and his frustrations since he carved the FESTAC mask. God gave me the inspiration to invent art works, I don’t copy.”Surprisingly, Alufa is not from Igbesanmwan, the known carving community of Benin. By this publication, Joseph Alufa lgbinovia joins the pantheon of master artists!

Source: The Guardian December 25, 2019 04:30 UTC