New African Masquerades reclaims the living artists transforming one of Africa’s most dynamic cultural traditions.
21 July 2026
Masquerade has long occupied a central place in global perceptions of African artistic traditions, yet the makers behind these extraordinary works have too often remained unnamed. ‘New African Masquerades: Artistic Innovations and Collaborations’, on view at the Museum of Fine Arts, St. Petersburg from 15 August 2026 to 3 January 2027, shifts the focus from anonymous cultural artefacts to the contemporary artists whose creativity continues to redefine this vibrant practice.
Bringing together the work of Chief Ekpenyong Bassey Nsa of Nigeria, David Sanou of Burkina Faso, Sheku “Goldenfinger” Fofanah of Sierra Leone, and Hervé Youmbi of Cameroon, the exhibition reveals masquerade as a living, evolving form shaped by artistic innovation, collaboration, patronage, and exchange. Rather than presenting masquerade as a fixed expression of the past, it foregrounds the ways these artists respond to changing social realities, local traditions, and global networks.
Organised by the New Orleans Museum of Art in partnership with the Musée des Civilisations noires in Dakar, the exhibition also advances an ethical model for exhibiting living African artists through close collaboration and shared authorship. Richly layered and deeply human, ‘New African Masquerades’ invites audiences to reconsider long-held assumptions about authorship, tradition, and contemporary African art. It offers a compelling reminder that masquerade is not simply inherited, but continually imagined, performed, and transformed by the artists who sustain its enduring vitality.
This exhibition will be on view at the Museum of Fine Arts, St. Petersburg, in St. Petersburg, Florida, USA, from 15 August 2026 to 3 January 2027
