Mask: Beke

Date1953

Maker Chukwu Okoro, Mgbom village, Afikpo Nigerian, 1910 - 1987

Label Text“We are dealing with an aesthetic that emphasizes action, in which beauty and ugliness, delight and foolishness, come out of doing rather than being.” (Simon Ottenberg, 1973) A mask in a museum is typically seen when it is stationary and quiet, so viewers can only imagine it was once part of a dense experience that erupted with sounds, dancing, acting, talking, and lively exchanges. Among the Afikpo of Nigeria, groups of over one hundred spirited beings enact vivid encounters with audiences who are receptive to their messages. In the museum galleries, two dozen Afikpo masks have been restored with links to their original play and parade so audiences may observe firsthand another way of defining ugliness, foolishness, secrecy, and the value of rich ceremonious theater that assaults all the senses.

Seeing a mask in a museum is an encounter that is almost the opposite of its original intent. Still and quiet, stripped of costume and character, the mask is a remnant of a dense aesthetic experience that erupted with sounds, smells, dancing, music, acting, talking and spirited exchanges between the audience and the concealed masqueraders. Among the Afikpo of Nigeria, groups of over one hundred masked, spirited beings engage in vivid encounters with audiences who pay attention to their messages. In the Seattle Art Museum's galleries, Afikpo masks don't stand alone. Nearly two dozen masks have been restored to provide as many links to the original masked plays and parades as possible. Through this coordination, audiences become closer to another culture's way of exploring beauty, ugliness, foolishness, humor, secrecy and the value of a rich season of theater that touches all the senses.

Object number2005.32

ProvenanceCollected by Simon Ottenberg, Professor Emeritus of Anthropology at the University of Washington, in Afikpo, Nigeria between September 1959 and June 1960

Photo CreditPhoto: Paul Macapia

We are dealing with an aesthetic that emphasizes action, in which beauty and ugliness, delight and foolishness, come out of doing rather than being.

Simon Ottenberg, 1973

Exhibition HistorySeattle, Washington, Seattle Art Museum, Lessons from the Institute of Empathy, Mar. 31, 2018 - ongoing.Published ReferencesSeattle Art Museum: Bridging Cultures, London: Scala Publishers Ltd. for the Seattle Art Museum, 2007, pp. 50-51. Ishikawa, Chiyo, ed. "A Community of Collectors: 75th Anniversary Gifts to the Seattle Art Museum." Seattle: Seattle Art Museum, 2007, illus. p. 125.

Credit LineGift of Simon Ottenberg, in honor of the 75th Anniversary of the Seattle Art Museum

Dimensions9 x 5 x 6 in. (22.9 x 12.7 x 15.2 cm)

MediumWood with raffia backing