NOMA Highlights Contemporary West African Masquerade Artists

This week, the New Orleans Museum of Art (NOMA) opens New African Masquerades: Artistic Innovations and Collaborations, a major exhibition presenting the work of four artists working in cities across West Africa: Chief Ekpenyong Bassey Nsa, Sheku “Goldenfinger” Fofanah, David Sanou, and Hervé Youmbi.

The first presentation of its kind, New African Masquerades offers a rare look into contemporary West African masquerade by contextualizing the works of individual artists within a range of social, economic, and religious practices and examining their networks of viewership and exchange. Made from materials including wood, cloth and fabrics, sequins, feathers, gourds, raffia, and cowry shells, the ensembles on view represent a wide variety of masquerade practices and societies.

The term “masquerade” has many different meanings across different cultures and communities and is loosely defined as a broad set of practices wherein individuals and societies dance in full-body, multimedia ensembles. These ensembles are then activated in many ways, including in performances, processions, and other ceremonies by either the masquerade artist or another practitioner. 

Importantly, New African Masquerades presents masquerade as a complex and diverse collection of evolving contemporary practices. Some masquerades — such as those of Bassey Nsa within the Ekpe Society of Calabar, Nigeria — hold political and didactic significance; others — like Fofanah’s designs for Jollay and Ordehlay in Sierra Leone — are primarily social and celebrate holidays. Still others are created to honor a life well-lived — as is the case of Sanou in Burkina Faso — or to critique — as Youmbi demonstrates. Some are private, and others are paraded through the streets. Contrary to many static museum presentations, masquerade is almost always defined by movement, theatricality, and audience participation.

In addition to 13 full masquerade ensembles, the exhibition at the New Orleans Museum of Art includes photography, recorded interviews, and an immersive video experience, including views of the ensembles being performed and clips featuring the artists.

Created with the support and participation of the artists, masquerade societies, and their communities, the show and accompanying catalogue present a case study in the methodology of producing a collaborative, cross-continental exhibition.

For more information, visit noma.org.