Objecten uit Myanmar uit de verzameling van Emil Riebeck, op de binnenplaats van het Kunstgewerbemuseum in Berlijn 1884

Hermann Rückwardt captured this photograph of Emil Riebeck's Myanmar collection within Berlin's Kunstgewerbemuseum. Above a tapestry, a row of masks looms, their features frozen in expressions both familiar and alien. Masks have long served as potent symbols, transcending mere adornment to embody spirits, ancestors, or the very forces of nature. In ancient Greek theatre, masks amplified emotions, enabling actors to portray tragedy and comedy with exaggerated intensity. Similarly, in various indigenous cultures, masks facilitate transformative rituals, allowing wearers to bridge the earthly and spiritual realms. Here, these Burmese masks—perhaps used in festivals or ceremonies—hint at a culture deeply attuned to the interplay between visibility and concealment. They remind us that the face we present to the world is but one layer of a complex, often contradictory identity. Their presence evokes a sense of the uncanny, prompting us to confront the hidden aspects of our own psyches, the archetypes that stir within our collective memory. These objects and their symbolism have a life of their own, as they are carried forward and find new life in modern times.