'I made the grey drawings independently and decided to combine all three of them for a bigger picture. It has been so long since I made the pictures, in 2007 or thereabouts, that I cannot recollect the reference images. But they show the mindset which informed the way I go about making the Gelede sketches/drawings before I translate them into paintings.

What I do is cut and paste, albeit digitally. I resample editorial images of fashion and juxtapose them with masks and costumes of Gelede and Egungun masquerades from Yoruba culture. This creates newer and contemporary images of masks and costumes which I interpret as contemporary African art.

I am particularly interested in the awkward juxtaposition of mask and bodice to create a ‘new masquerade’ straddling the traditional African and contemporary Western world.' -Wole Lagunju