Normally, I’m not a big fan of contemporary art influenced by traditional African art, but for the work of the Dutch artist Ingrid Baars I’m willing to make an exception. Instead of just borrowing examples of the many genious African plastic solutions, Baars succeeds in going a step further. Pushing the envelope, she superimposes fragments of masks, heads and figures with beautiful African women and many other subtle details and surfaces. A couple of her works, clearly inspired by the art of the Fang, are of an utmost beauty. In other works wood flows into skin in such a graceful way they become one. A catalogue documenting this ongoing series recently has been published, you can order it via her website (where you can also find many other works of this series). An artist to keep an eye on.
