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 and cultural interactions and exchanges in the development of art in these regions. The choice of the...