What does it mean to capture the likeness of a soul, whether using sacred earth or lines of code?
Oriiz looks at how capturing likeness has always been a political act, from the ritual workshops of ancient Ifẹ to today’s AI systems that shape our identities.
Form is never neutral. A thousand years ago in Ifẹ — Nigeria, artists sculpted faces in bronze and terracotta with such skill that early European visitors doubted Africans could have made them. These works were more than just effigies; they declared existence. They showed that identity could be portrayed with dignity, accuracy, and real presence. The artists captured not only the shape of a face, but also the essence of a person…
