Mask Okpesu Umuruma (Frighten Children)

Date1960

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

Label TextTo "frighten children" is the goal of this grotesque face whose every feature is twisted for a reason. It doesn't suggest physical illness, but social illness, as it is a favorite mask that lampoons men full of greed and self-interest. In elaborate plays, this mask character acted as an evil being who brings tensions to the surface for resolution. Also appearing in parades, he gamboled around the edges to disrupt any sense of order. The donor commissioned this mask from the artist in 1960 as part of his extensive research on Afikpo art.

Object number2005.50

Photo CreditPhoto by Beth Mann

Exhibition HistorySeattle, Washington, Seattle Art Museum, Disguise: Masks and Global African Art, June 18 - Sept. 7, 2015 (Los Angeles, California, Fowler Museum at UCLA, Oct. 18, 2015 - Mar. 13, 2016; Brooklyn, New York, Brooklyn Museum, Apr. 29 - Sept. 18, 2016).

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

Dimensions10 x 5 3/4 x 5 1/2in. (25.4 x 14.6 x 14cm)

MediumWood with raffia backing, pigment