A focus of Herve Youmbi’s work has been the production of striking hybrid masks that combine stylistic features of diverse African regions and peoples. Made in collaboration with specialist artisans from West Cameroon, these masks are exhibited in contemporary art environments prior to being “activated” in a ritual context, mainly through being performed by initiates of the Ku’ngang Society.
Some masks have traveled back and forth between the ritual universe and the contemporary art scene, acquiring a different status with each move. Layers of meaning accumulate through these travels and challenge the Western labels applied to African art, which differentiate between “contemporary” art and “authentic,” “traditional” African art.
As we view ourselves in these mirrored, screen-printed renditions of masks that Youmbi has activated in multiple contexts, reflecting back at us also are the categories and classifications formed through economic, social, and political forces, all intimately tied to capitalism and colonialism but still powerfully at work today, in the postcolonial aftermath.