An installation view of “New African Masquerades: Artistic Innovations and Collaborations” at the New Orleans Museum of Art. Photo: Sesthasak Boonchai, , courtesy of the New Orleans Museum of Art

Long before Judith Butler wrote about the performativity of gender, long before Guy Debord wrote The Society of the Spectacle, long before the advent of the internet allowed for online avatars, there was masquerade. Loosely defined as “a social gathering of persons wearing masks and often fantastic costumes,” masquerade is a social practice with centuries of observable history. While this exhibition does well to explore this deep and rich tradition, the artists and artworks presented are all contemporary. In this way, the title of this exhibition is almost a misnomer. “New African Masquerades: Artistic Innovations and Collaborations” is a group exhibition at the New Orleans Museum of Art featuring the work of Chief Ekpenyong Bassey Nsa, Sheku “Goldenfinger” Fofanah, David Sanou and Hervé Youmbi. Through the presentation of immaculate and intricate masquerade ensembles and recordings of their activations in performance, this exhibition vivifies an ancient practice, showing that masquerade is an inexhaustible wellspring of expression.

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