Exploring Contemporary West African Masquerade Art at NOMA
Title: Exploring Cultural Innovation: NOMA Presents “New African Masquerades”
This week, the New Orleans Museum of Art (NOMA) unveils a compelling new exhibition, New African Masquerades: Artistic Innovations and Collaborations, spotlighting the dynamic and evolving world of contemporary West African masquerade. This groundbreaking exhibition, the first of its kind, features work by four visionary artists: Chief Ekpenyong Bassey Nsa (Nigeria), Sheku “Goldenfinger” Fofanah (Sierra Leone), David Sanou (Burkina Faso), and Hervé Youmbi (Cameroon).
Through dramatic, full-body masquerade ensembles and multimedia installations, the exhibition offers museum visitors a rare opportunity to see masquerade as a living, performative practice rather than as static display. In doing so, New African Masquerades highlights the artistic ingenuity and cultural relevance of these practices across different regions of West Africa.
Understanding the Art of Masquerade
The term “masquerade” can carry different meanings depending on cultural context, but at its core, it refers to a practice in which individuals or groups perform in elaborate, multisensory costumes. Materials such as wood, raffia, sequins, shells, feathers, and cloth are combined to create striking ensembles used in performances, processions, and ceremonies. These are often animated through dance and ritual, serving purposes that stretch beyond mere artistic expression.
By framing these ensembles within their social, religious, and cultural contexts, the exhibition reveals laughter, politics, honor, and critique as common threads running through masquerade traditions. Some forms of masquerade focus on storytelling or marking life transitions. Others are community celebrations or sharp cultural commentaries.
Diverse Voices, Shared Visions
New African Masquerades emphasizes the individual voices and stylistic identities of its four featured artists:
– Chief Ekpenyong Bassey Nsa is a highly respected figure in the Ekpe Society of Calabar, Nigeria. His masquerades often carry political weight, functioning as forms of governance and moral instruction within the community.
– Sheku “Goldenfinger” Fofanah is a prolific Sierra Leonean artist known for his flamboyant designs for Jollay and Ordehlay festivals, which are celebratory and social in nature.
– David Sanou of Burkina Faso crafts masquerades connected to funeral rites and tributes to community elders. His works highlight how masquerades are used to honor and remember.
– Hervé Youmbi of Cameroon offers a contemporary and sometimes critical perspective. His experimental approach bridges traditional iconography with modern concerns, questioning inherited systems of power and cultural appropriation.
Bringing Movement to the Museum
Unlike many traditional museum presentations that decontextualize African masquerade and freeze it behind glass, NOMA’s exhibition makes an intentional effort to visualize masquerade in action. In addition to 13 dazzling masquerade ensembles, the exhibition includes immersive video installations, interviews with the artists, and documentary photography capturing the performances in their original contexts.
Visitors are invited not only to view these cultural artifacts, but also to better understand the communities that produce and sustain them. The masks and costumes on display are not relics of a bygone era — they are part of active cultural practices that continue to evolve, communicate, and spark dialogue today.
A Model for Collaborative Curation
What truly sets New African Masquerades apart is its methodology. The exhibition was developed in close collaboration with the artists, masquerade societies, and local communities. This participatory approach ensures a representation that is ethically grounded and culturally accurate. The accompanying exhibition catalogue delves deeper into this collaborative model, offering a blueprint for future cross-cultural and cross-continental museum exhibitions.
A Celebration of Cultural Continuity and Innovation
New African Masquerades challenges viewers to reconsider preconceived notions about African cultural expression. Far from being fixed in the past, masquerade in West Africa is a vibrant, adaptive tradition that continues to address contemporary concerns while reinforcing communal ties.
In showcasing this multifaceted art form, NOMA offers a transformative museum experience that celebrates both the beauty and the resonance of African masquerade in the 21st century.
Visitors can experience New African Masquerades at the New Orleans Museum of Art now. For more information and to plan your visit, please go to noma.org.