Visit to the Met (Part 2)

I gave up my home delivery of The New York Times at the end of last year because once again I was looking to cut costs around here, but I do love to read the paper on paper.  My parents came to visit late last week, and my Dad is an avid newspaper reader.  My Mom is all about the coupons, my Dad all about the info, so I got the rare treat of being able to read both the local and New York papers this past weekend.

Imagine my surprise when I opened up The New York Times and saw an article on my favorite exhibit at the Met on the cover of the Arts & Leisure section!  The small show outside the African Art area contains masks styled like the traditional wood masks hanging in the Met’s collection but made out of modern materials and in many instances items that have been discarded.

Of course, I was immediately drawn to the mask entitled Internet by Romuald Hazoume (above) made from an old gasoline can and wires.  Not far from this modern mask hang a few by Calixte Dakpogan.  This artists uses old floppy disks and CDs in his pieces, but the one that drew my attention had metal circles with string coming through them for eyes.  As I viewed this piece I realized I’d seen that metal and string before but couldn’t quite place it until I turned away.  Dakpogan used the tops of kerosene lamps with the natural cotton string complete with center red line as the eyes!  I don’t think I’ve used a kerosene lamp since my childhood, but seeing part of such an old fashioned source of light used for eyes and surrounding it with metal and plastic from newer forms of technology to create this “face” made this my favorite find of the day.