Africa Collection
My Africa Collection
African Masks Collection 2
Masks and symbols collections, part of the 20/20 show
A collection of 25 mixed media artworks 8x8"
Inspired by a number of African masks, “African masks and symbols” is a collection of African elements taken to another level. The rough simple form of a wood mask is brought to life by designs, colors, shapes and prints which create a new image of the original masks in a more complex way. Aside from these elements, trees and animal prints bring to life the idea that there is so much beauty in the world. Like in the original African creations, the masks are created based on the traditional style of the community but also by the individual vision of the carver. As an artist I did not try to create a perfect representation of the subjects, but a celebration of the abstract qualities like nobility, beauty & courage. My creations are a more idealized version, of the elements I considered most important. As a composition - arrangements of line, shape and form evoke integrity and dignity. The simplification and abstraction of visual elements emphasize the power of the masks. African art has made all of us more receptive to the stylized forms. Modern art is often considered to have taken its beginnings from the day in 1907 when Pablo Picasso visited the Musee d'Ethnographic in the Palais du Trocadero: “When I first went to the old Trocadero, it was disgusting…. The masks weren't just like any other pieces of sculpture. Not at all. They were magic things…. I too believe that everything is unknown…. I understood what the Negroes use their sculptures for…. Les Demoiselles d'Avignon must have come to me that very day…”(Africa 1996, pp23-24) As a conclusion these collections of 25 African inspired modern pieces are a well thought trip into the complex world of totem and taboo.
Cristina Avramovici
Inspired by a number of African masks, “African masks and symbols” is a collection of African elements taken to another level. The rough simple form of a wood mask is brought to life by designs, colors, shapes and prints which create a new image of the original masks in a more complex way. Aside from these elements, trees and animal prints bring to life the idea that there is so much beauty in the world. Like in the original African creations, the masks are created based on the traditional style of the community but also by the individual vision of the carver. As an artist I did not try to create a perfect representation of the subjects, but a celebration of the abstract qualities like nobility, beauty & courage. My creations are a more idealized version, of the elements I considered most important. As a composition - arrangements of line, shape and form evoke integrity and dignity. The simplification and abstraction of visual elements emphasize the power of the masks. African art has made all of us more receptive to the stylized forms. Modern art is often considered to have taken its beginnings from the day in 1907 when Pablo Picasso visited the Musee d'Ethnographic in the Palais du Trocadero: “When I first went to the old Trocadero, it was disgusting…. The masks weren't just like any other pieces of sculpture. Not at all. They were magic things…. I too believe that everything is unknown…. I understood what the Negroes use their sculptures for…. Les Demoiselles d'Avignon must have come to me that very day…”(Africa 1996, pp23-24) As a conclusion these collections of 25 African inspired modern pieces are a well thought trip into the complex world of totem and taboo.
Cristina Avramovici
African forest collection
Masks forever...