African Masking Systems: An Archive Of Social Commentary

Abstract

October 21 2021 African Masking Systems: An Archive Of Social Commentary Samuel Nortey, Samuel Nortey Samuel Nortey is an artist and an associate professor in the Department of Industrial Art (Ceramics Section), Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST), Ghana. He holds a PhD in African Art and Culture. He is a multicultural fellow of the National Council for Education of the Ceramic Arts (NCECA) and has worked with several art centers in Ghana developing the frontiers of art production. Nortey's publications are in ceramic art, art history, art education and issues of contemporary art. He has been involved in many local and international exhibitions and reviews. snortey.art@knust.edu.gh Search for other works by this author on: This Site Google Scholar Edwin K. Bodjawah, Edwin K. Bodjawah Edwin Kwesi Bodjawah is an artist, associate professor in the Department of Painting and Sculpture, KNUST, and the coordinator of the Opoku Ware II Museum at KNUST. He is a principal trustee and patron of blaxTARLINES, KUMASI. Through decommissioned materials he researches serial reproduction of African mask forms. Search for other works by this author on: This Site Google Scholar Kwaku Boafo Kissiedu Kwaku Boafo Kissiedu Kwaku Boafo Kissiedu (Castro) is a cofounder and the administrative director of blaxTARLINES, KUMASI. He is a senior lecturer at the famed Fine Art Department of KNUST, Kumasi, Ghana, where he, and other colleagues, have pioneered revolutionary changes in fine art pedagogy, turning out emerging artists who are making waves worldwide. Search for other works by this author on: This Site Google Scholar Author and Article Information Samuel Nortey Samuel Nortey is an artist and an associate professor in the Department of Industrial Art (Ceramics Section), Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST), Ghana. He holds a PhD in African Art and Culture. He is a multicultural fellow of the National Council for Education of the Ceramic Arts (NCECA) and has worked with several art centers in Ghana developing the frontiers of art production. Nortey's publications are in ceramic art, art history, art education and issues of contemporary art. He has been involved in many local and international exhibitions and reviews. snortey.art@knust.edu.gh Edwin K. Bodjawah Edwin Kwesi Bodjawah is an artist, associate professor in the Department of Painting and Sculpture, KNUST, and the coordinator of the Opoku Ware II Museum at KNUST. He is a principal trustee and patron of blaxTARLINES, KUMASI. Through decommissioned materials he researches serial reproduction of African mask forms. Kwaku Boafo Kissiedu Kwaku Boafo Kissiedu (Castro) is a cofounder and the administrative director of blaxTARLINES, KUMASI. He is a senior lecturer at the famed Fine Art Department of KNUST, Kumasi, Ghana, where he, and other colleagues, have pioneered revolutionary changes in fine art pedagogy, turning out emerging artists who are making waves worldwide. Online Issn: 1937-2108 Print Issn: 0001-9933 © 2021 by the Regents of the University of California2021Regents of the University of California African Arts (2021) 54 (4): 52–63. https://doi.org/10.1162/afar_a_00612 Cite Icon Cite Permissions Share Icon Share Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email Views Icon Views Article contents Figures & tables Video Audio Supplementary Data Search Site Citation Samuel Nortey, Edwin K. Bodjawah, Kwaku Boafo Kissiedu; African Masking Systems: An Archive Of Social Commentary. African Arts 2021; 54 (4): 52–63. doi: https://doi.org/10.1162/afar_a_00612 Download citation file: Ris (Zotero) Reference Manager EasyBib Bookends Mendeley Papers EndNote RefWorks BibTex toolbar search Search nav search search input Search input auto suggest search filter All ContentAll JournalsAfrican Arts Search Advanced Search African masking systems have the potential to contribute to the conversation around the relationship between contemporary art and providing an archive of social commentary. In precolonial times and in geographical locations across Africa, these masking systems connect and integrate cultural practices and the infrastructure of these communities. Nortey, Bodjawah, and Kissiedu (2019) have explained that most African masks were not used in isolation, as mere objects offering visual pleasure, but were part of ceremonies that were cross-genre in nature, often embedded with layers of history, politics, and other important provenances. These African sculptures come alive in a variety of exhibition spaces; every member of the audience is engaged in the discussion or documentation of history through the communal nature of these masking ceremonies. History also chronicles the significance and contribution of the environment... © 2021 by the Regents of the University of California2021Regents of the University of California You do not currently have access to this content.