Masque

In Sire Mane's new work 'Masque', the visitor enters a tension field between honesty, concealment, and adaptation. The installation consists of two large masks behind which personal and vulnerable stories are concealed. Behind the masks, two people can be heard speaking in their own language—French and Wolof (a local Senegalese language)—about subjects they find difficult to discuss in their daily lives. The emotions behind these masks are clearly audible, yet the words remain unintelligible to most visitors. The masks draw the viewer in, yet remain impenetrable, refusing to disclose their inner world. In this way, a sense of distance and incomprehension arises, tied to differences in language, identity, and culture.