SAN ANTONIO, TX.- The San Antonio Museum of Art opened New African Masquerades: Artistic Innovations and Collaborations, a groundbreaking exhibition that offers a rare look into the dynamic, living art form of masquerade. Organized by the New Orleans Museum of Art in partnership with Musée de Civilisations noires in Dakar, Senegal, New African Masquerades will be on view in the Cowden Gallery through July 5, 2026.

The exhibition presents the work of four leading contemporary artists from different regions of West Africa: David Sanou of Burkina Faso; Sheku “Goldenfinger” Fofanah of Sierra Leone; Chief Ekpenyong Bassey Nsa of Nigeria; and Hervé Youmbi of Cameroon, who is also one of the curators of the exhibition.

“Masquerade” is loosely defined as a broad set of practices wherein individuals and societies dance in full-body, multimedia ensembles. New African Masquerades features thirteen full contemporary masquerade ensembles made from various materials, including wood, cloth, fabric, sequins, raffia, beads, feathers and shells, presented on mannequins posed in mid-motion to emulate the movements of skilled performers. The exhibition also includes an immersive video experience with 360-degree views showing the ensembles as they are made and performed.

“We are excited to debut this dynamic and innovative exhibition in San Antonio,” said Emily Ballew Neff, the Kelso Director at SAMA. “Masquerade is a crucial art form, one that is understood in terms of motion and multi-sensory experience. Deploying a 360-degree immersive video—the first of its kind—and vibrant masquerade ensembles by four contemporary West African artists, the show encourages us to discover a richer understanding of this collaborative art form and its global impact.”

Challenging historical collecting practices, the artworks included in New African Masquerades were newly commissioned for museum display, with the featured artists and communities actively negotiating how each would be presented. Historically, the artists who created masquerade ensembles often went unnamed and their stories untold. To upend the idea of the “anonymous African artist,” the exhibition recounts in-depth stories about the lives, motivations, and ideas of each of the four masquerade makers.

“African masquerade ensembles are made to be animated with motion, and New African Masquerades ambitiously brings their mobility to life using novel exhibition strategies,” said Kristopher Driggers, curator of Latin American art. “Through the project’s storytelling, we come to appreciate the specific motivations and creative innovations of the featured artists, who demonstrate that masquerade evolves and adapts to meet specific needs and ideas. Most importantly, this is an exhibition with a message for all of us who care about art, no matter the geography: Dialogue and collaborative thinking mark the path forward for creating fresh, meaningful presentations in art museums.”

New African Masquerades: Artistic Innovations and Collaborations is accompanied by a 264-page exhibition catalogue featuring 188 color and black-and-white illustrations; artist biographies; in-depth analyses of masquerade ensembles in relation to themes of collaboration, economics, innovation, and mobility; and a discussion of the methodologies for ethically commissioning and acquiring masquerade art.

Chief Ekpenyong Bassey Nsa, born in 1973 in Creek Town, Nigeria, is a renowned third-generation Efik artist specializing in the creation of masquerade ensembles, beadwork, chieftaincy attire, cultural knowledge, and funeral shrines. He learned his craft from his father, who is credited with modernizing masquerade ensembles for the Ekpe secret society central to Efik culture as well as throughout southeast Nigeria and west Cameroon. Bassey Nsa’s artistry is deeply tied to the Ekpe society and his father’s legacy. Initiated into Ekpe at a young age, he was conferred with the Ekpe chieftaincy title, Obong Murua Okpoho, in 2009. His art is intertwined with family and tradition, with every work beginning with a libation to his father, seeking guidance through dreams and prayer. His commissions extend throughout the Cross River region as well as to international institutions.

Sheku “Goldenfinger” Fofanah, born in Freetown, Sierra Leone, in 1976, is known for his intricate and innovative designs. Based in the Fourah Bay community, he is the resident kotu (builder/artist) for the Gladiators Power Ordehlay Society (co-founded by his father) and contributes to other societies such as Tourist Ojeh and Omo Jessah Hunting. Fofanah’s work spans various masquerade genres, including Jollay, Ordehlay, and Hunting, and his designs are sought after in Sierra Leone, The Gambia, and internationally in Australia, Canada, and the UK, illustrating how masquerades serve not only as performative art forms but also as symbols of identity and connectivity in a rapidly changing world. Fofanah’s designs are part of prestigious collections, including the Sierra Leone National Museum. His work has been displayed for national celebrations, such as the British Museum’s commission for Sierra Leone’s golden independence anniversary.

David Sanou, born in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso, in 1969, is a third-generation master sculptor based in Bobo-Dioulasso. He assumed artistic control over his father’s studio in 2009 and has continued to innovate within existing practices, while simultaneously creating new masquerade forms such as “Compromise Kimi” headpieces, “emblematic portraits” of recently deceased community members that are danced in annual funeral celebrations. David Sanou’s artworks are featured in both secular and ceremonial occasions. His clientele includes chiefs and affluent patrons of masquerades in the region as well as museums abroad. Sanou has gained a reputation for quality and creativity, adhering to the standards of regional mask genres, while innovating new forms and types.

Hervé Youmbi, born in 1973 in Bangui, Central African Republic, and raised in Douala, Cameroon, is a celebrated contemporary artist deeply influenced by Africa’s complex history. Youmbi’s work explores issues of identity, power, and the legacy of colonialism through portraiture and hybrid masks bridging the gap between traditional African rituals and global contemporary art, questioning what is considered “traditional” or “contemporary.” Youmbi has been featured in, among others, the 2017 Münster Skulptur Project, Germany, the Into Nature Biennial, Holland (2018); exhibits at the Musée du quai Branly-Jacques Chirac, France (2022), the Uchiboso Art Festival, Ichihara City, Japan (2024), and the Louvre Museum, Abu Dhabi, UAE (2025). His work is included in multiple global collections, including the Smithsonian’s National Museum of African Art and the Menil Collection.