Contemporary Artists Reimagine African Masks

Article by Antwaun Sargent

The exhibition Disguise: Masks and Global African Art at the Brooklyn Museum was the subject of an extensive Vice Media feature upon its opening.

“African masks as we have come to know them and expect to see them in Western context are really just a fragment of a lost performance of works that were once contemporary but are now frozen in time,” explains exhibition curator, Kevin Dumouchelle.

"I want the audience to really understand African masquerade as this font of incredible creativity,” says Dumouchelle. “It is a dynamic and exciting artistic platform that changes every time it's performed and is a part of a rich longstanding tradition of artists engaging with and trying to change the world.” He adds, “Leaving this show, I hope that our visitors are able to look a little more critically at both contemporary and historical art."