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One of the most famous yet most unusual masks is the so-called mbangu mask by the central Pende. This is one of the very rare masks in African art that has an asymmetric design. This initiation mask’s potency lies in its strong black-and-white contrast. Mbangu was associated with disease, misfortune, and physical shortcomings, which were ascribed to witchcraft.¹ The mouth, nose, and eye on the dark, “sick” side are distorted. In contrast, the white side bears typical features of a male Pende mask, like the distinctive forehead and pronounced cheekbones—symbols of strength and health. Mbangu was “bewitched” but was also searching for the source of its curse. With its simultaneously harmonious and asymmetrical design, mbangu symbolized illness and cure, suffering and hope.

Both Congolese artists Steve Bandoma and Aimé Mpane reference this unusual mask type in their artworks. In his painting Papotage (“chitchat”) from the series Opium, Steve Bandoma questions the missionary work from the fifteenth century to the present day. With this title and the subject of the mbangu mask, he is criticizing the Church’s two-faced behavior and promise of salvation. Instead of exchange and syncretism, the mis­sionaries often demanded the rejection of traditional religious practices. This was sadly accompanied by the destruction of old masks and figures, which Hans Himmelheber also documented on his travels.

In his series Demoiselles the artist Aimé Mpane created two-faced portraits that can be seen on the recto and verso of the supporting material. Drawing on Pende masks among other things, three-dimensional faces emerge from several layers of plywood. While the carved faces on the one side are reminiscent of the topographies and reliefs of a landscape, the strong colors and abstract forms on the other side allude to Cubism. With the title Aimé Mpane makes direct reference to Picasso’s iconic picture Les Demoiselles d’Avigon from 1907, which was modeled on African masks. Mpane is paying tribute to Picasso, but he is also criticizing the avant-garde’s appropriation of African art. Being able to see through the masks from both sides raises the question of what is the front and the back, what is public fiber and private.

^{Source:
Oberhofer, Michaela: Light and Dark Sides: the Pende Mask Mbangu in Contemporary Art. in Nanina Guyer and Michaela Oberhofer (Ed.): Congo as Fiction. Art Worlds Between Past and Present. Zurich: Museum Rietberg / Scheidegger & Spiess, 2019}

Download: Exhibition Catalog "Congo as Fiction" (PDF)