Ibn is a master of colors, designs and "Ogun shrine installations" and his works are supplemented by oral presentation by his band ” Band Unit # 10 ” with music, dance, poetry and drums on social and political commentary on the issuer that confront Africans. A potent mix of visual artistry and traditional” griot. “

His principal means of creating and communicating is two dimensional rectangle images intertwined with music and the spooking word, his works are saturated with African influence symbolic language, his works remind me of traditional Africa sculpture, the instillation of “Ogun shrine installations” and his monumental abstract paperwork in “An Epic Poem of Remembrance and Celebration”, along with paintings of symbolism, communicating information to the initiated and the un-imitated.

I have always been festinating and consumed by his paintings witch are pictographic and ideographic in nature, His exhibition is supplemented by oral communication, but his principle mean of creating is collogues, his works are saturated with symbolic graphics, signs for sound and words., a non-liner and non- phonetically based writing, that our ancestors have used for over 45,000 years..

Acts of creating “art” were seldom, if every carried out without a reason, intention, celebration or ritual preparation etc., was the reason for what we call “African Arts”. Ibn painting, Ogun Shrine Installations, pomes and works with his band “Band Unit # 10” or extensions of his form of communicating from an African lyrical language based on African traditions. Some of the” African artist” born in America has not forgotten their cultural reasonability. (Witch is to help guarantee the continuation of our kind and remind us that it’s culture first).in allowing for the continuation of the “spiritual “and knowledge/vision of the African communal roots. He reminds us whose shoulders do we stand upon and the depth of African thought and philosophy.

Ibn intent is unquestionably guided toward informing his people. His affinity for forms, symbols and coded information, is in your face. Ibn works are truly abstract in the since of the way African used abstract form in the tradition culture relic, in all of his paintings and shine constructions, some identifiable elements or in his works, witch give the viewer a comfort zone to view his paintings, example I saw images of Mandela, (El Hajj Malik Shabazz) Malcolm X, hip-hop legend Tupuc Shakur, R&B music innovator Kool and the Gang, to Detroit most accomplished and challenging playwright Ron Milner.

Ibn works are saturated with secrets reviled and secrets concealed, I ask him what was the meaning of his symbolism? He said ” it is called “Nzibidi” meaning the special name of the secret mystical rituals and traditional institutions representing truth and or being, governing all ideals, life, labor and spirituality.” Ibn uses it for someone special in his life, if you wish to know more talk to Ibn. When I moved in closer to his painting, the symbols, photographs and colors begin to come alive, and I begin to appreciate the colors and shapes, I no longer need to know what they meant.

I saw rectangle energy with hot spot of hues bouncing off each other coving twenty-three major works that acted in an interwoven process of an evolving composition. Relieving the stress that contemporary society places on individuals and allowing you to come to see how creativity bring balance back into the individuals life-style and understanding to society Taking as a whole the painting, including the Ogun shrine installations with pistachio shells, coins, nails, urban raffia, shredded paper, plastic wrapping, string, broken mirrors, African sculpture, contemporary rain sticks, cowries’ shells, candles, found objects, etc.

Ibn said his works are “a logical prescription to help visually nourish and heal the African in America psych within a paradigm extracted from the truths of the African Diaspora.” He methodically manifesting Just enough clues to keep the viewer looking for more elements he or she can recognize and accumulating questions only Ibn can answer To quote Ibn “…specifically but can be appropriately understood universally like music is appreciated when one goes with the flow of its energy.”

Ibn paintings are full of visual knowledge about our past, he twist colors and make them hollow African walk-up your freedom is what you put in your mind, Ibn has a lot to say, he is a culture poet, a wise visual African who has Spent his life teaching and reminding us from which we came. The Africanstorian voice has always had a place to speak a visual language, shape by the culture he belongs to. The European artist reasonability to the people was remote or he was used as tool for propaganda. (The biblical paintings)

Traditionally, in Africa for the most part, “Artists” are not expressing their private feeling or inspiration, rather personal touches are executed within generally accepted limitations, so that beads, textiles, sculptures, potteries, etc. like all African culture relics, unifies the community by conveying and reinforcing common understanding.

The culture relics are still used in Africa to create object representing “spiritual values basic to the survival of the culture. Alain Locke (1886-1954) tried with no results to get the African” artist “of the Harlem renaissance ere to look to Africa sculpture for guidance.

Ibn consolidated information about African in the Diaspora in his works, it appear he made a resolution years ago to constant remind himself and other, who we are, a African living in America. One body of work annihilates a thousand lies. He is not borrowing contemporary thought about Africa, His ideals or the reward for study and observation his concepts, they come from within, the intensity is uncanny, comprehension is sharp as a knife, his concepts of spirituality traditional, to our ancestors thoughts and philosophy, most “ Artist” have a phobia about the subject Ibn embrace and address head on.

The enslave African “Artisans” that came to America in the 17th and 19th must be remembered and celebrated, perhaps Ibn is 400 years removed but, etched in his DNA memories of a very stressful and violent story that he made a conscious decision to use his life, intellect, wisdom, knowledge and skills, to remind us that our goal is to be made hold again his works speak volumes to that goal
When spider webs unite, they can tie up a lion.

article currency of Metro Business information Guide, celebrating 25 years Serving Highland Park & Metro Detroit Michigan Since 1980.

Olayame Dabls, Africanstorian:
Mbad African Bead Museum 1305

Ibn can be reach at e-mail protected from spam bots
Metro Business can be reach at 313-645-2282
e-mail protected from spam bots

Mbad African Bead Museum
6559 Grand River
Detroit Mi 48208
313-898-3007
http://www.mbad.org
e-mail protected from spam bot.

Support MBADS African Bead Museum at: http://www.mbad.org NOW!!
The HTML graphics in this message have been displayed. [Edit Preferences - What's This?]