This is the demon Raksha mask. In Sri Lanka you see him standing guard over every house. We spent a whole summer in a small village on the coast and we got to know a carver who’d been at his work for decades. We bought many pieces from him, and on the last week of our stay he invited us to supper at his home. His shop was below his home. We climbed up onto the roof and he fed us spirits and cheese and we feasted on the roof below the stars with the carver and his family and friends. I really, really love Sri Lanka; when you ride through the countryside on a scooter, like we did, you find endless cinnamon farms, tea fields, and rubber tree plantations. It’s a glorious country.

Material: Wood

Origin: Sri Lanka