“ Val Entino the Power Figure” 
​2017  
68” x 26” x 26”
Maple, oak and lacewood.

                                        Val Entino, Power Figure
 
I created Val Entino the Power Figure for the protection of my “village” from the evil and unstable powers in Washington D.C.  The evil has been growing and gathering for years and in early 2017 demanded action. My Power Figure is rooted in figures made by the people of the Kongo Civilization who used them to protect villages from the Belgian Colonial Government.  The Power Figure connects to the spiritual world and gains spiritual energy after being animated/charged with organic material that is placed in a closed cavity in its belly. Each driven nail represents a request or contract with the Power Figure and spiritual world it is connected to.  The figure then uses the spiritual energy in protection of the village.  The creation and ritual of the Kongo people in using these figures empowered them to come together and maintain their sensibility and cultural identity.  The Belgians outlawed and destroyed many of the Power Figures in the colonies of the Kongo out of fear of them.  This evident fear by the Colonial power and the resistant energy of the Kongo culture is what inspires me to call together my “village” to not let the injustices and lies of our current political powers take control.  A nail is driven into the figure with each request for protection or contract made by someone from the village.