This program will explore the practice of masking as it appears across the vast and culturally diverse Congolese region of Central Africa, where masks function as performance objects, works of art, educational tools, and ritual objects of devotion. Utilizing selected objects from VMFA’s Congo Masks: Masterpieces from Central Africa exhibition, masks will be examined and discussed as representations of the artisans and performers who brought them to life, as well as varied communities, belief systems, and natural resources. The program will also make use of original field photography, which helps to properly contextualize the diversity of masking performances, ecosystems, and cultures found throughout the immense Congo Basin.
