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.
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"If there is any book out there right now that truly justifies why art and photo books still exist, it's got to be Phyllis Galembo's Maske. I love this book!" --D. Scot Miller, San Francisco Bay Guardian
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2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
By C. Smith
Format:Hardcover
What I like about these images is the way in which Galembo uses traditional West African Portraiture strategies to capture this insurgent, temporal and potent spirits. Gorgeous images of visual strategies that are so sophisticated as to blow contemporary Western Art way away. Fantastic. I only wish there was a little more scholarly text to accompany the images. And it would be cool if there were behind the scenes images that reveal the way in which Galembo got these images. It could not have been easy. What a privilege. Nice book.
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
By paper doll
Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase
Great ideas come from great images. This book has something as I've never seen them though I've been to quite a few museums. The images are clear and speak for themselves. Had an imagination high just by flipping through the pages. Good way to submerge into a new world.
3 of 4 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
Traditionally autumn in many countries celebrates All Hallows' Eve, a day that has become so commercial that it almost outdoes Christmas. But go to the source, the beginnings of this celebration, and there we find a connection with the spirits - those vague images that plead understanding or even cognizance.
Phyllis Galembo, likely more than any investigator artist, has spent considerable time seeking knowledge of the spirit rituals of both Africa and the Caribbean, places where people are more sensitive to the things they cannot explain but feel the need to placate or honor. This beautifully designed book features over one hundred highly color-saturated photographs of the costumes created and worn by the peoples of various cultures. Organized in chapters according to regional traditions and customs, Galembo has gained permission from the people to make these extraordinary photographs.
There is no sense of mocking or of inappropriate marketing of these costumed people: Galembo has been gathering these images for over 25 years and during that time she has become a confidant, an artist with the ability to transmit trust to the people she visits and coaxes into being photographed. The costumes are highly creative and richly colorful - for lack of a better comparison think Tim Burton or Federico Fellini or Julie Taymor - and incorporate the entire boy in the costume paraphernalia. The costumes, by chapter, are from Nigeria, Haiti, Zambia, Sierra Leone, Ghana, Burkina Faso and Benin. The materials of the costumes vary form natural products, built from wood accents, body paint, richly colorful fabric - most anything available to create these otherworldly characters.... Read more ›
Phyllis Galembo, likely more than any investigator artist, has spent considerable time seeking knowledge of the spirit rituals of both Africa and the Caribbean, places where people are more sensitive to the things they cannot explain but feel the need to placate or honor. This beautifully designed book features over one hundred highly color-saturated photographs of the costumes created and worn by the peoples of various cultures. Organized in chapters according to regional traditions and customs, Galembo has gained permission from the people to make these extraordinary photographs.
There is no sense of mocking or of inappropriate marketing of these costumed people: Galembo has been gathering these images for over 25 years and during that time she has become a confidant, an artist with the ability to transmit trust to the people she visits and coaxes into being photographed. The costumes are highly creative and richly colorful - for lack of a better comparison think Tim Burton or Federico Fellini or Julie Taymor - and incorporate the entire boy in the costume paraphernalia. The costumes, by chapter, are from Nigeria, Haiti, Zambia, Sierra Leone, Ghana, Burkina Faso and Benin. The materials of the costumes vary form natural products, built from wood accents, body paint, richly colorful fabric - most anything available to create these otherworldly characters.... Read more ›
By Pat
Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase
The photos are incredible and the stories that go with them are intriguing. Would highly recommend this book to anyone!
By Rico51
Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase
These photos are mesmerizing. The book is a welcome addition to the documentation of mask and masquerade traditions. The only flaw is the lack of specifics about what each masks is evoking or attepting to represent. We are left only with mystery and wonder.
By uncletwinkie
Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase
Phyllis Galembo is to be celebrated for her superlative photos of African costumery, thereby showing us the fantastic, fabulous, imaginative genius of the people she photographs. I'm in awe of such creativity. I must say, though, that the book was a disappointment. Its production did not live up to its subject. The photos themselves are fine - although I did expect a somewhat larger format, but there is something flat & ordinary about the dust jacket; the white background, the lack-luster font, in fact the general design, but, more important to me, is the inconsistent photo display. Some pages have photos on each side, most have photos on one side, with a blank reverse side. Its unprofessional appearance cheapens the presentation and gives the impression that the publisher wanted to make the book thicker than (to my mind) it should rightfully be.
This is simply to forewarn, not to discourage, would-be buyers. The costumes are delightful, inventive, utterly wonderful. In spite of my somewhat serious quibbles with the production of the book, I'm still glad to have it.
This is simply to forewarn, not to discourage, would-be buyers. The costumes are delightful, inventive, utterly wonderful. In spite of my somewhat serious quibbles with the production of the book, I'm still glad to have it.
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