The Luba people—or the Baluba—come from the south-central region of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and have been there since 400 C.E. Over centuries, they specialized in certain crafts: metalwork for necklaces, bracelets, and hooks, and woodwork for ceremonial axes, stools, and memory boards. The American artist Nyugen Smith incorporates Luba relics into his large assemblages. He combines them with objects of disparate origin, such as chicken coops and wood, a reference to the makeshift architecture in his native Trinidad. The African diaspora is an omnipresent theme in his work, along with the subjects of migration and rehousing. —Elena Clavarino