Chernobyl Mask (Allusion to Bakwas)
1993
Innovation requires the foundation of tradition and is the logical progression of a culture that is dynamic and responsive to change. Neel takes an ancient tradition and develops a personal interpretation in order to comment on contemporary history and society. Bakwas, also known as chief of the ghosts, is a sometimes malevolent man-like being who transforms others into ghosts. Here, with nuclear towers upon his forehead, he is cast as the ominous destroyer, in reference to the 1986 nuclear disaster in the Ukraine that ultimately took more than 4,000 lives and spewed widespread airborne contamination over great distances.
Red cedar wood, paint, cedar bark
28 x 14 x 8 in. (71.12 x 35.56 x 20.32 cm)
Margaret E. Fuller Purchase Fund
97.55