I like to work on sculptures that tell stories, sculptures that could show my culture and artistic life. I believe I am an artistically driven ambitious sculptor with a unique talent. I make these book sculptures because I love to make sculptures, I love researching and making new designs, new ideas, they are a path for which I could tell my stories visually. I have been a tutor of sculpting for three years. I have been teaching art and sculptures for youths. Teaching how to sculpt helped me to diversify my medium and become a much more seasoned sculptor. This entry into the contest is a book sculpture titled Likeness, it took around two months to complete and it is the final entry into my book sculptures titled “black and white”.

The black background represents the darkness found in the world, the EVIL. The sculpture is lit by one light source i.e., the sun and this represents the light of God. The book sculpture in the midst of this darkness and light represents the word of God. The sculpture is carved out of my book collection like dictionaries, newspapers, novels … (not actual bible or any spiritual books) represents the bible, the word of God.
When the proud religious law keepers asked Jesus whether a man could divorce his wife Jesus responded by saying “Have you not read that He Who made them in the first place made them man and woman? (Mat 19:3). He responded to their question by referring them to the “first place”, the original intention of God. I am now going to take you back to the “first place” to further understand Cor 6:10.
When God said let us create mankind in our likeness and proceeded to form Man from the dust (Gen1:26, Gen2:7), the likeness he aimed to create was not the physical likeness created from the dust since God does not have human flesh, instead it’s the likeness he breathed into Man that made him a living being. This likeness is the breath of life, it’s the light of God that is created into a human being.
Cor 6:10 teaches us that our struggle is not against flesh and blood but the darkness. In order to defeat this darkness, we should have the full armor of God. This Armor is made out of truth, righteousness, gospel of peace, faith, salvation and the word of God. When we look back at the original creation history of mankind, we notice that God’s creation of his image and likeness in mankind was all mankind has against the evil. In this genesis story mankind has not fallen, yet there was still evil (the darkness) so when God created Mankind, he equipped him with his likeness to defeat the evil. It was the image of God that protected man against this evil so when evil came to mankind it destroyed his likeness by deceiving him into disobedience. Since disobedience is not the likeness of God (Phil 2:8) man lost his relationship and likeness of God and mankind now needed The armor of God to defeat evil. The blood of Jesus then became necessary in order to restore this relationship with God. Now in Cor 6:10 truth, salvation, or even the word of God are mentioned to be a reminders of our image/likeness to God because now we have fallen from the grace of God and we need to conquer our sinful tendencies every day.
If we have the likeness of God, his light will be inside of us (1cor 11:1) and when the light shines in the darkness, the darkness could not overcome it (John 1:4). Whether in Exo 12:13 where the blood of the lamb was used to signal for the pass over or in (Rev 12:11) where “our brethren” overcame the accuser, the devil by the blood of Jesus Christ, it is clear that our battles are won when we put on the ultimate armor of God that is the blood of Jesus who protects us from evil.
The book sculpture is mankind in its physical form it reflects this whole concept of likeness in artistic form, if you are lost in the physique of the sculpture then you have missed the point, you should look closer and closer to see the elements it’s made out of, the bible to view its significance. If you are built on the practicality of the word of God just as the sculpture is made out of the word of God then you have the likeness of God and when the flood come, the winds blew you will not fall because of your foundation (Mat 7:24).

Contact me on either my email ( theoddsof300@gmail.com) or my new Instagram page “art_of_300”

I am currently in the process of organizing my book sculpture exhibition which I have been working on for the past two years. This book sculptured titled likeness will be my final piece in my book sculpture series titled “black and white”. I am interested to make more book sculptures inspired by the work of God, so if you are interested in sponsoring my mission please give me an email ( theoddsof300@gmail.com)