Bwa Sun Mask – Salaka

Description

The Bwa sun mask has been appreciated by artists and collectors alike.

Sun Masks are contemporary pieces which marry the stylistic features of the Bwa and Bobo. Appearing during agricultural and harvest festivals, they honour the Sun and its power to yield a healthy crop. The chequer-board light and dark geometric patterns are understood and interpreted in increasingly complex ways depending on the observer. The use of light and dark pigments represent dichotomy of innocence and knowledge.

A speciality of the peoples who live in the southern parts of their territory, Bwa masks embody a range of protective spirits if nature, from bush spirits to butterflies to the sun itself. Bwa masks are often large in scale, two dimensional, and adorned with colourful patina. They are performed at many kinds of ceremonies and social events to celebrate.

The  highly abstracted and geometric forms of the Bwa and Bobo played an important inspirational role in the development of Western art movements of the early 20th century.