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Barong Mask
Artist / Origin: Balinese artist, Indonesia
Region: Oceania
Date: Early to mid-20th century
Period: 1900 CE – 2010 CE
Material: Wood, leather, twine, wire, hair, mirrors, pigment
Medium: Other
Dimensions: H: 12 ¼ in. (31 cm.), W: 18 1/8 in. (46 cm.), D: 10 ¼ in. (26 cm.)
Location: Fowler Museum, UCLA, Los Angeles, CA
Credit: Courtesy of the Fowler Museum at UCLA
Mask (sowei)
Artist / Origin: Mende artist, Sierra Leone
Region: Africa
Date: 19th century
Period: 1800 CE – 1900 CE
Material: Wood, pigment, plant fiber
Medium: Other
Dimensions: H: 26 ¾ in. (68 cm.), W: 9 ½ (24 cm.), D: 10 ½ in. (27 cm.)
Location: Fowler Museum, UCLA, Los Angeles, CA
Credit: Courtesy of the Fowler Museum at UCLA
Masks exist in almost every culture, and although they might be worn in different contexts and with different goals in mind, they all have one thing in common—they allow the wearer to become someone other than his or her everyday self. For this reason, masks are often associated with ceremony, events that by their very nature are “uncommon.” The Balinese Barong and the Mende sowei exemplify the transformative and transporting effects that masks can have on both wearers and the communities of which they are a part.