Photo: Zina Saro-Wiwa (British/Nigerian, born 1976). The Invisible Man, 2015. Pigmented inkjet print, 28 ¾ x 44 in. (73 x 111.8 cm). Seattle Art Museum, Commission, 2015. Courtesy of the artist. © Zina Saro-Wiwa.
The masquerade begins with the mask, as something profoundly transformative occurs when a new head appears upon the human body. It is sculpture come alive, a performance art that uses aesthetic principles as a means to express a deeper message. In Africa, the use of masks dates back to the Paleolithic era. Used in rituals and ceremonies, they can represent the spirits of animals, ancestors, deities, and mythological heroes. They can also be used to convey moral values as well as bestow honor. They are worn by dancers in an array of rituals: celebrations, initiations, crop harvest, war preparations, and other ceremonial practices.
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When the imperial powers of Europe carved up the continent, they gave no thought to the natural order of things, exploiting both the land and the people with abject disregard. Whitewashing became commonplace, as people became disconnected from their traditional roots, making mask ceremonies a far less common practice in Africa than it had previously been.
Nandipha Mntambo (South African, born 1982). Europa, 2008. Exhibition print, 31 ½ x 31 ½ in. (80 x 80 cm). Photographic composite: Tony Meintjes. Courtesy of the artist and STEVENSON, Cape Town and Johannesburg. © Nandipha Mntambo. Photo: Courtesy of STEVENSON, Cape Town and Johannesburg
At the same time, the Western art world took notice of the masks as objects of art unto themselves, quickly vaulting them away into museums as sterile as hospitals. Stripped of all context and positioned behind glass, we in the West can only imagine the beauty of these mask in all their glory.
Yet, everything cuts two ways, and as a result, many African and diaspora artists have integrated the mask into their practice. Disguise: Masks and Global African Art, now on view at the Brooklyn Museum of Art through September 18, 2016, presents the work of 25 contemporary artists alongside examples of traditional works in an immersive installation of video, digital media, sound, and installation art, as well as photography and sculpture.
Leonce Raphael Agbodjélou (Beninese, born 1965). Untitled, Egungun Series, 2011. Digital exhibition print, 59 x 39 1/4 in. (149.9 x 99.7 cm). Courtesy of the artist and Jack Bell Gallery, London. © Leonce Agbodjelou. Photo: Courtesy of Jack Bell Gallery, London
With an eye towards the local scene nearly half of the artists in the show are residents of Brooklyn. The works selected for the show offer a twenty-first century twist on this ancient art. The works are often provocative, intentionally so, exploring issues including race, women’s agency, queerness, festishization, and government corruption. Disguise: Masks and Global African Art includes works by Jacolby Satterwhite and Nick Cave (U.S.), Iké Udé (U.S./ Nigeria), Alejandro Guzman (Puerto Rico), Gerald Machona (Zimbabwe), Nandipha Mntambo (South Africa), Leonce Raphael Agbodjélou (Benin), and Edson Chagas (Angola), among others.
Although rendered inanimate, the masks still maintain a power that compels, one that invokes questions and sparks ideas. Their powers speak across the void, revealing the complexities of the visible and invisible nature of reality.
Brendan Fernandes (Canadian, born Kenya, 1979). From Hiz Hands: 1979.206.143, 2010. One of three neon-on-glass-frame signs, 35 x 30 in. (88.9 x 76.2 cm). Loan from the artist. © Brenden Fernandes. Photo: Courtesy of the artist
Miss Rosen is a New York-based writer, curator, and brand strategist. There is nothing she adores so much as photography and books. A small part of her wishes she had a proper library, like in the game of Clue. Then she could blaze and write soliloquies to her in and out of print loves.
