Faces

Faces is a psychological tapestry rendered in pen and ink — a 16 x 20 inch exploration of identity, memory, and ancestral whisper. In this work, John C. Ndupu strips his visual language to its most essential elements: line, space, and symbol. Without the distraction of color, the viewer is pulled into the raw architecture of expression, where each mark becomes both map and emotion.

Dozens of abstracted faces emerge and recede from the surface, like fragmented souls caught in a dance of recognition and erasure. Echoing the Nsibidi tradition of ideographic communication, John’s lines swirl, clash, and repeat — creating rhythmic tensions that suggest layered narratives. The drawing invites close inspection, as meaning is hidden within intricacy and repetition. It is at once deeply personal and culturally expansive.

With Faces, John channels the voice of the collective self — a silent choir of stories, each face a vessel for unspoken truths.