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Phyllis Galembo: Maske
Introduction by Chika Okeke-Agulu.
The clothes we wear invariably telegraph information about our identity, our place in society and the stories we wish to convey about ourselves. The fantastically colorful costumes specific to African and Caribbean rituals and celebrations go several steps further, transforming ordinary people into mythic figures and magicians, tricksters and gods, and symbolizing the roles their wearers play in the ancient dramas that form the cornerstones of their cultural heritage. Phyllis Galembo began photographing the characters and costumes of African masquerade in Nigeria in 1985, and since then she has continued developing her theme throughout Africa and the Caribbean. This volume collects 108 thrilling carnival photographs from Nigeria, Benin, Ghana, Sierra Leone, Burkina Faso, Zambia and Haiti. In magnificent color shots, Galembo's subjects pose in striped bodysuits that cover the entire body, including the face; or outfits made entirely of bunched greenery; or a lacquered wooden mask topped with a headdress featuring full-body models of other characters; or an oversize misshapen animal head and plywood wings. The carnival characters, rooted in African religion and spirituality, are presented in chapters organized by tribal or carnival tradition and are accompanied by Galembo's personal commentary, shedding light on the characters and costumes portrayed, and on the events in which they play a pivotal role. Maske is a serious contribution to ethnographic study, a photo-essay about fashion and an assembly of superb images.
Featured image, America, 2010, is reproduced from Phyllis Galembo: Maske.
PRAISE AND REVIEWS
Metropolis
The most inspiring aspect of this collection of 100-plus photographs is the ingenuity - from sticks and stones to oil paint, everything is fair game in service of the human fascination with transforming our appearance.
"The connection between masking, religion and socio-political processes of African societies is a direct one… The art has declined, given the undeniable pressure on 'traditional' modes of life. What is remarkable is that it has not declined more. Indeed, one of the central questions that Phyllis Galembo's photographs raise is: why, despite the changes that have taken place since the early twentieth century, does masking persist in such vibrant form in parts of Africa and its diaspora? What is it that motivates the communities and individuals still so committed to the practice, despite the threats posed by the combined, if antithetical, forces of secularization, fundamentalist Christianity and radical Islam?"
Phyllis Galembo is a Professor of Art at the University at Albany, State University of New York. Galembo’s work has been exhibited and collected by museums and institutions all over the world, including the American Museum of Natural History, the Fashion Institute of Technology, the Smithsonian, MFA Houston, Philadelphia Museum of Art, and the Tokyo Metropolitan Museum of Photography. continue to blog
FORMAT: Hbk, 8.75 x 9.5 in. / 208 pgs / 108 color. LIST PRICE: U.S. $45.00 LIST PRICE: CANADA $55 ISBN: 9781905712175 PUBLISHER: Chris Boot AVAILABLE: 9/30/2010 DISTRIBUTION: D.A.P. RETAILER DISC: TRADE PUBLISHING STATUS: Out of print AVAILABILITY: Not available TERRITORY: NA ME
Published by Chris Boot. Introduction by Chika Okeke-Agulu.
The clothes we wear invariably telegraph information about our identity, our place in society and the stories we wish to convey about ourselves. The fantastically colorful costumes specific to African and Caribbean rituals and celebrations go several steps further, transforming ordinary people into mythic figures and magicians, tricksters and gods, and symbolizing the roles their wearers play in the ancient dramas that form the cornerstones of their cultural heritage. Phyllis Galembo began photographing the characters and costumes of African masquerade in Nigeria in 1985, and since then she has continued developing her theme throughout Africa and the Caribbean. This volume collects 108 thrilling carnival photographs from Nigeria, Benin, Ghana, Sierra Leone, Burkina Faso, Zambia and Haiti. In magnificent color shots, Galembo's subjects pose in striped bodysuits that cover the entire body, including the face; or outfits made entirely of bunched greenery; or a lacquered wooden mask topped with a headdress featuring full-body models of other characters; or an oversize misshapen animal head and plywood wings. The carnival characters, rooted in African religion and spirituality, are presented in chapters organized by tribal or carnival tradition and are accompanied by Galembo's personal commentary, shedding light on the characters and costumes portrayed, and on the events in which they play a pivotal role. Maske is a serious contribution to ethnographic study, a photo-essay about fashion and an assembly of superb images.
