ABSTRACT
Sculpture, has evolved over time, and through the period of its development so many ideas from diverse sources have been discovered by sculptors. African maskshave been explored by foreign artists like, Amideo Modigliani and Pablo Picasso in their paintings and sculptures, this direction has influenced to a large extent the trend of contemporary western sculptures. The problem of this research however, is that the masks culture of Bassa Nge is gradually facing extinction due to the growing influence of western culture. The aim of this study is to create relief sculptures inspired by Elebo masks forms using mild steel, while the objectives are to; execute representational forms of the Elebo masks in sculpture, create stylised sculpture compositions as inspired by Elebo mask forms and to explore the Elebo masks in Geometrical forms in sculpture. The research method used was the exploratory Studio Practice-based research methodology, which involved visualization and practical observation of the Elebo mask forms. The analysis and conceptualisation of perceived forms formed the basis from which the works were executed. Eighteen sculptures were created. Several findings and observations were made in the process of this research, which are; that mild steel could be used to create representational forms of the Elebo masks in relief sculptures using the vibrant patterns, symbols and motifs in its execution. It also found out that the stylisation stage of this study has led to the discovery of shapes, pattern and symbols which could be used in graphic and textile designs. The researcher found that geometrical exploration of Elebo masks forms in sculpture could be beneficial to other discipline like architects, fabricators and designers when incorporated in to other forms of contemporary sculpture.