“I will set up my name in the place where the names of famous men are written, and where no man’s name is written yet I will raise a monument to the gods.” ― Anonymous, The Epic of Gilgamesh Inspired by myth and ancient Egypt, Oba’s epic sculptures bring historical references into the 21st century. Modernizing these forms presents a kinship between grand oral history and the accolades achieved from cultural pride and the fruits of its labor. The storybook four panel mosaic diptych brings the king’s story into a new dimension, presenting the viewer with emblems mapping decades of cultural progression and time. In the plinth of Gilgamesh, the king operates in tandem with his kingdom. Over seeing the modern city, Gilgamesh is scaled to the wisdom and magic he sought in pursuit of understanding the depths of human morality and meaning. Surrounding his figure, the vertical models, vignettes of modern luxuries – planes, helicopters, roads – are modernity; rewards of the kings scarifies. Similarly, the adjacent sculpture represents the modern king. A self portrait of the artist, his dreaded hair and beard falling far past his feet, is the modern king. A schema of the storied individual, man is a king to his castles as the modern vein of Gilgamesh flows through him. In tandem with the badass stories of the kings, an extension of their impact is affirmed by the dancing woman and the sun dial. Littered with symbols of the gods, love, war, and eternal life, the referential sculptures complete the impact. Both sculptures presenting a light, prove myth to reality. Oba rejects classical art, creating his sculptures with “craft” proves the wholistic impact of ancient Egypt on modern culture. A family hand-me-down, What Hands Like Ours Can Do is a cityscape of labor, authorship, cultural history, and hope. By bringing the forms to its physical manifestation, the kings are welcomed to meditate, while their rewards reap. Oba, born in Trinidad, is an artist, chef, and actor based in Brooklyn. His paintings, sculptures and t-shirts have featured at Motel Gallery and Rumpelstiltskin, Brooklyn. From 2016 to 2018, Oba was lead singer of the avant-noise supergroup Dead Companionship alongside Austin Sley Julian, Adam and Zack Khalil. He starred as King Alpha in Adam Khalil and Bayley Sweitzer’s 2018 film Empty Metal. Oba’s world-class corn soup has been slurped at the legendary Club Temptation in Flatbush, as well as fine establishments across the world. Nosferasta, written by Adam Khalil and Bayley Sweitzer in collaboration with Oba, was commissioned and produced by Gasworks, London and Spike Island, Bristol, as part of the European Cooperation project 4Cs: From Conflict to Conviviality through Creativity and Culture, co-funded by Creative Europe and the Royal College of Art. The film is also supported by Creative Capital and Cinereach. The film has been presented at Someday Gallery, New York, Palais de Tokyo, Paris, The Museum of Modern Art, New York, and Gasworks, London.