art mask

This elegant African mask represents the art of Mali. Showing the characteristic downcast eyes and narrow, elongated features, its three antlers suggest the Bambara antelope tradition. Kobina Asmah carves the mask by hand and embellishes it with embossed brass and aluminum in a beautiful portrait of a Bambara woman.

The Kponyugo mask, sometimes known as the "firespitter" mask, is an important ceremonial mask for the Senufo people of Mali, the Ivory Coast and Burkina Faso. Its fierce appearance is intended to elicit uncertainty and apprehension, and it is commonly used during funeral rituals to scare away malevolent spirits. Salihu Ibrahim replicates the mask with extraordinary attention to detail. Featuring horns, pointy tusks, sharp-looking teeth, and a raffia mane, the visage is fearsome.

Perched atop an elongated mask coated in white clay, a bird leans down to caress its forehead. Salihu Ibrahim carves the piece by hand in the style of the Senufo people of Mali and the northern Cote d'Ivoire. "Masks like this are worn by hunters before setting out to hunt," he says. "It is believed the wearing of the mask gives good luck as white is a lucky color." The red pigments are achieved by grinding a red stone, while charcoal provides the black accents.

This elongated African mask with two faces is hand-carved from sese wood by Ernestina Oppong Asante. Although wood carving is traditionally the domain of men, this talented Ghanaian artisan has established herself as a carver on the strength of her own craftsmanship. This design is an original creation based on the art of the Bobo people.

Among the Bobo people of Burkina Faso and Mali, masks are used in rituals to help connect humans with nature and the gods. In ceremonies, the mask wearers lose their individual identities and become part of the divinity believed to be held within the masks.

The Dogon people are one of the many characteristic and distinguished cultural groups found in Mali. Inspired by their art forms, Ghana's Emmanuel Austin Ankude crafts this Dogon mask used for dances. He carves it by hand from local sese wood, using a technique that can take several weeks to complete. The nose and ears are adorned with iron rings.