Standing male figure

wood, white pigment, rest., base

The Isoko live in the heart of the Niger Delta, their neighbours to the south are the Ijaw and to the west the Urhobo. The latter have strongly influenced the art forms of the Isoko and there are also cultural similarities, such as the relationship these peoples try to establish with the spirits of earth and water.

Coatings of white chalk "oorhe", widespread throughout southern Nigeria as a magical sign of purity and otherworldliness, elevate the images to a sacred realm.