Masque

Sire Mane

In Sire Mane’s new work "Masque," the viewer is placed within a field of tension between honesty, concealment, and adaptation. The installation consists of two large masks behind which personal and vulnerable stories are hidden. Behind the masks, you hear two individuals speaking in their own languages—French and Wolof (a local language from Senegal) about topics they find difficult to discuss in their daily lives. The emotions behind these masks are clearly audible, yet the words remain largely unclear to most visitors. The masks draw the viewer in, but remain impenetrable. They do not reveal their inner world. In this way, a sense of distance and misunderstanding emerges, connected to differences in language, identity, and culture.