Orí (Head)
"Orí" (Head) draws from the Yoruba proverb, "Orí to gbẹ bọ la fi n ba aye lọ." This translates to "Only the head that accepts sacrifice can journey well through life.”
In Yoruba cosmology, orí (the inner head or spiritual essence) is more than just the physical head. It is the bearer of destiny, the silent guide shaping one’s path through the world.
This abstract composition interprets orí as a luminous force surrounded by shifting forms, colours, and textures all symbols of life’s unpredictable journey. The central focus embodies the head’s acceptance of ẹbọ (sacrifice), which in turn aligns it with divine order. Radiating strokes and layered tones suggest the movement of destiny once the head has been properly honoured, while subtle tensions in the forms reflect the challenges and choices that define each step of life’s road.
In this work, I invite viewers to contemplate not just the external journey, but the unseen agreements we make with our own spirit; the quiet commitments that open the way to a life well-lived.
In Yoruba cosmology, orí (the inner head or spiritual essence) is more than just the physical head. It is the bearer of destiny, the silent guide shaping one’s path through the world.
This abstract composition interprets orí as a luminous force surrounded by shifting forms, colours, and textures all symbols of life’s unpredictable journey. The central focus embodies the head’s acceptance of ẹbọ (sacrifice), which in turn aligns it with divine order. Radiating strokes and layered tones suggest the movement of destiny once the head has been properly honoured, while subtle tensions in the forms reflect the challenges and choices that define each step of life’s road.
In this work, I invite viewers to contemplate not just the external journey, but the unseen agreements we make with our own spirit; the quiet commitments that open the way to a life well-lived.
As the Yoruba saying goes, “Kí ó tó ṣéun gbogbo, bèrè lọ́wọ́ orí” literally means “Before you do anything, ask your head.”
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