The face behind the masks

ONE HUNDRED ethnic masks from South America, Africa, Asia and Oceanic regions that represent and form part of the collection of the musŽe du quai Branly, Paris, are now on show at the Bahrain National Museum.

Presented by the Sector of Culture and National Heritage, 'Masks - Beauty of the Spirits', is a special trilingual exhibition in Arabic, English and French, and has been specially curated for display in the kingdom. It will be open until June 30.

The selection of masks is taken from world cultures where the use of masks implied social and political realities. It illustrates how different world cultures manifest their religious and spiritual beliefs in masks, which come in various sizes.

The variety on show includes theatrical masks used in dramatic performances. While most are made to cover just the face there are also those that cover the whole body.

Yves le Fur, curator of the exhibition and assistant director of the department of patrimony and collections at the musŽe du quai Branly, said: "The exhibition presents 100 masks, and thus 100 different visions of the human face expressing the comedy and drama of our relationship to the unknown and the invisible in a grand theatre of unseen magical forces."

Melissa Enders-Bhatia, senior cultural programmes specialist at the Bahrain National Museum, said: "This is a particularly strong collection that addresses one idea in depth.

"You will see on display variations of masks that have different uses and have been made with different materials.

"It's a great representation of ethnic art and is for people of all ages. We have trained teachers to give a special guided tour that comes with a folder with information for parents."

On entering the exhibition space visitors come face to face with gigantic images of masks that have been erected on special panels.

Four viewing points enable an observer to appreciate the grandeur of the representation, which runs 60 metres across and is split into 18 panels, four metres high. At the marked positions the broken-up images, magnified over a 1,000 times and stretched across panels, recompose to give the masks a larger-than-life impression.

Fabien Iliou, one of the graphic designers who designed the showcase along with Massimo Guendolo, said: "The big images arouse curiosity and the scale is designed to give visitors a theatrical entry into the exhibition."

An entire floor of the exhibition is dedicated to the larger collection of masks from Africa. Curator Yves le Fur explained: "The exhibition shows how different cultures of the world manifested the face of gods and spirits to come into contact with the forces of the invisible.

"By putting on the masks individuals developed powers of resolving conflicts and could act as a moderator, policeman and judge and even pronounce death sentences. Masks were a link with natural forces."

What is striking about the exhibition is the diversity of masks that are made of different natural materials that come in different sizes and are used to perform different functions and have different symbolism.

While some faces show melancholy, sickness, sadness, anger others represent the divine.

Some of the Sri Lankan masks are used in ceremonies to protect the good and reject the bad. Alongside are theatrical masks from Wayang Topeng in Java and those from Papua New Guniea that represent the dead are made of straw, leaves, feathers and basket weave.

There are masks from Alaska and Greenland that are made of walrus and fox fur. From the Yaqui Sonora region in Mexico there is a mask that has real teeth, hair of a goat and is used during celebrations.

Some of the African masks juxtapose a human face and an animal characteristic. Some masks that represent justice exaggerate features of a human face.

Another mask from Cameroon has big ears and the trunk of an elephant and symbolises the power and intelligence of the animal.

Curator Yves le Fur adds: "This showcase shows respect to all cultures of the world. The 100 exhibits give a clear and comfortable presentation and offers public knowledge about this work of art. It is a sensitive expression of human symbolism and signifies cultures that are constantly in dialogue."

Praising the exhibition Shaikha Mai bint Mohammed Al Khalifa, assistant undersecretary of Culture and National Heritage, said: "This event is special because it will allow every visitor to learn about the culture of others through these very rare and sophisticated masks. These masks are part of the common heritage of humanity."

'Masks - Beauty of the Spirits' accompanied by an extensive calendar of events is open every day from 8am to 8pm at the Bahrain National Museum until June 30.

Admission to the exhibition is BD2, children under the age of 12 are admitted free.