One of the most fantastic displays of West African art will be taken down from the Hood Museum later this week. The exhibit, "Imaging West Africa in Mask and Costume," reveals several insights into African society culture pertaining to the traditional "masquerades."
The display emphasizes the importance of masquerade performances by the Igbo and Yoruba peoples of Nigeria. The collection is drawn from the Hood Museum's own reserves and those of private lenders and features the art of African masks and textiles in their uniquely expressive and intricate forms.
As soon as you walk in, the size and the vividness of the masks and costumes reveal the significance of the mystical yet traditionally entertaining masquerades that take place in West Africa. The exhibit includes two complete mask and costume sets which represent Yoruba Egungun and Igbo Maiden Spirit Mask festivals. It also includes a ceremonial Cameroon royal display cloth, elaborately carved Igbo and Cameroon masks and several Yoruba Egungun headdresses that have never been on display at the museum before. A video of contemporary Egungun masquerade is also on view in the galleries.
Masquerades have always provided the public with exciting and entertaining performances that convey traditions and cultural mores while celebrating any occasion. These celebrations are accompanied by colorful and richly symbolic masks and costumes that along with music, comic and instructive performances, express and reaffirm a community's beliefs. These performances often dramatically demonstrate the idea of ancestral spiritual guidance.
The Igbo Maiden masks and costumes are used in the celebrations of a young woman's eligibility for marriage. The Maiden mask is white and delicately carved, thus representing an idealized image of a young woman. The accompanying costumes are brightly colored and beautifully patterned appliqueed cloth.
The Yoruba Egungun costumed mask are also featured in the exhibit.They are multicolored with an array of wonderfully layered patterns that move with vigor when the dancers perform, as seen in the video in contemporary Egungun festival.
Finally, the Cameroon masks are a breathless sight. The large wooden masks embody the power and mysteriousness behind the hidden soul.
The royal display cloth is about 10 feet long and over six feet wide. It is intricately patterned and is used as a backdrop for ceremonial objects of a palace.
