An evolving art: one of the exhibits at New African Masquerades, showing at NOMA (photo: Kechi Chibueze)
New African Masquerades at NOMA
Words by Alex Jennings / Photos by Kechi Chibueze
I grew up in a house full of masks. Having spent years living and traveling in sub-Saharan Africa, my parents had a solid collection of African art, but more than anything, it was the masks that moved me. The masks hanging on the walls of my childhood home were blank, expectant, full of promise, and it wasn’t until much later in life that I understood their potential. NOMA’s New African Masquerades exhibit forcibly reminded me of all this, and I’m glad I was on hand to witness the cultural exchange.
Assembling the exhibit was a painstaking process conducted over the better part of a decade. Relationships had to be built, trust had to be established, and the proper permissions had to be obtained to avoid misunderstanding and cultural sensitivity. During the press tour of the exhibit, Amanda Maples, NOMA’s curator of African art, detailed some of that process. What struck me about her description is how much different it is than exhibits of purchased or stolen artefacts.
New African Masquerades showcases the work of four artists: Chief Ekpenyong Bassey Nsa of Creek Town Nigeria, Sheku “Goldenfinger” Fofanah of Free Town, Sierre Leone, David Sanou of Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso, and Hervé Youmbi, of Douala, Cameroon. All four of these men—the creation and performance of African Masquerade is mostly reserved for men—design their costumes for movement. So much so, that even empty and displayed on the museum floor, all of the ensembles look capable of motion. One of the reasons the exhibit must be experienced in person is that numinous spiritual element that informs the lines, planes, and textures of the art. Photographs have a hard time capturing that sense of motion, that feeling that if I saw one of the empty ensembles turn its head in the periphery of my vision, I would not be at all surprised.
The pieces themselves are beautiful. Hand-carved and -sewn, they boast intricate beadwork, feathered fringe, textured fabric, bits of mirror, and vibrant prints. Each piece, each set, has its own personality-from David Sanou’s inhuman carvings that look like tubeworms or sea anemones, to Goldfinger Fofanah’s more realistically feminine figures which incorporate doll parts, to Chief Ekpenyong Bassey Nsa’s heavily stylized humanoid figures with their exaggerated cuffs and heads that are either deemphasized or replaced with a cloud of lace (review continues below the gallery).
Words by Alex Jennings / Photos by Kechi Chibueze
I grew up in a house full of masks. Having spent years living and traveling in sub-Saharan Africa, my parents had a solid collection of African art, but more than anything, it was the masks that moved me. The masks hanging on the walls of my childhood home were blank, expectant, full of promise, and it wasn’t until much later in life that I understood their potential. NOMA’s New African Masquerades exhibit forcibly reminded me of all this, and I’m glad I was on hand to witness the cultural exchange.
Assembling the exhibit was a painstaking process conducted over the better part of a decade. Relationships had to be built, trust had to be established, and the proper permissions had to be obtained to avoid misunderstanding and cultural sensitivity. During the press tour of the exhibit, Amanda Maples, NOMA’s curator of African art, detailed some of that process. What struck me about her description is how much different it is than exhibits of purchased or stolen artefacts.
New African Masquerades showcases the work of four artists: Chief Ekpenyong Bassey Nsa of Creek Town Nigeria, Sheku “Goldenfinger” Fofanah of Free Town, Sierre Leone, David Sanou of Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso, and Hervé Youmbi, of Douala, Cameroon. All four of these men—the creation and performance of African Masquerade is mostly reserved for men—design their costumes for movement. So much so, that even empty and displayed on the museum floor, all of the ensembles look capable of motion. One of the reasons the exhibit must be experienced in person is that numinous spiritual element that informs the lines, planes, and textures of the art. Photographs have a hard time capturing that sense of motion, that feeling that if I saw one of the empty ensembles turn its head in the periphery of my vision, I would not be at all surprised.
The pieces themselves are beautiful. Hand-carved and -sewn, they boast intricate beadwork, feathered fringe, textured fabric, bits of mirror, and vibrant prints. Each piece, each set, has its own personality-from David Sanou’s inhuman carvings that look like tubeworms or sea anemones, to Goldfinger Fofanah’s more realistically feminine figures which incorporate doll parts, to Chief Ekpenyong Bassey Nsa’s heavily stylized humanoid figures with their exaggerated cuffs and heads that are either deemphasized or replaced with a cloud of lace (review continues below the gallery).
For me, one of the standout pieces was the Tso Scream Mask by Herve Youmbi. In conversation, Youmbi explained that over time images from Western art and popular culture have migrated into the African masking tradition, and that he was excited by the idea of (Edvard) Munch’s influence finding its way into his art practice using such a circuitous route. In my own writing, I mine pop culture, art, and mundane imagery and recontextualize it to create something new, so the Tso Scream Mask resonated with me on several levels.
All the pieces did, honestly, as did the presence of the artists who created them. Even the immersive room where 360-degree camera footage was used top place viewers inside masquerade performances and witness the pieces displayed in motion, as they were intended, was an essential element of the exhibit. Without it, I wouldn’t have drawn as strong a connection between these performances and the parades and performances by the Northside Skull and Bones Gang, Zulu, and the Mardi Gras Indians.
New African Masquerades is the first exhibit to be presented simultaneously to United States and African audiences, and I’m excited for where it might lead. I’m excited for more direct communication and exchanges of ideas and techniques between Masquerade societies in Africa and in New Orleans.
My wife, Kechi, who accompanied me to the exhibit to take photographs is Nigerian, and for me, the best thing this experience brought to us was the chance to discuss Masquerades with Kechi’s mother, Caroline. She explained how the tradition functioned in the Ibo village where she grew up. The practice is shrouded in mystery, and when the Masquerades take place, they’re met by fear, excitement, and exhilaration.
New African Masquerades runs at NOMA through August 10th, 2025. Click here for more information
Alex Jennings is an author and poet - find more of his work here
Kechi Chibueze is a photographer - find more of her work on her Instagram here
All the pieces did, honestly, as did the presence of the artists who created them. Even the immersive room where 360-degree camera footage was used top place viewers inside masquerade performances and witness the pieces displayed in motion, as they were intended, was an essential element of the exhibit. Without it, I wouldn’t have drawn as strong a connection between these performances and the parades and performances by the Northside Skull and Bones Gang, Zulu, and the Mardi Gras Indians.
New African Masquerades is the first exhibit to be presented simultaneously to United States and African audiences, and I’m excited for where it might lead. I’m excited for more direct communication and exchanges of ideas and techniques between Masquerade societies in Africa and in New Orleans.
My wife, Kechi, who accompanied me to the exhibit to take photographs is Nigerian, and for me, the best thing this experience brought to us was the chance to discuss Masquerades with Kechi’s mother, Caroline. She explained how the tradition functioned in the Ibo village where she grew up. The practice is shrouded in mystery, and when the Masquerades take place, they’re met by fear, excitement, and exhilaration.
New African Masquerades runs at NOMA through August 10th, 2025. Click here for more information
Alex Jennings is an author and poet - find more of his work here
Kechi Chibueze is a photographer - find more of her work on her Instagram here