Agaba Mask II

Agaba Mask II deepens John C. Ndupu’s exploration of ancestral authority and spiritual identity through the elegant discipline of pen and ink. This 16 x 20 inch drawing is a continuation — and intensification — of his visual dialogue with the Agaba masquerade tradition, fusing Indigenous Igbo symbology with modern expressionist abstraction.

The mask form here is more fragmented, as if dissolving into pure energy. Dense lines radiate from the central figure, creating an aura of power and mystery. Nsibidi-inspired motifs and Uli-derived structures ripple throughout the composition, transforming the image into a living tapestry of coded meaning. Unlike the stoic permanence of a carved mask, Agaba Mask II feels like it’s in motion — evoking the pulse of drumming feet, the swirl of ceremony, the breath of ancestors.

In this work, Ndupu reminds us that masks do not conceal — they reveal the deeper truths that the face alone cannot carry.