Mei Mask c. 1920

Curator: This intriguing work is a "Mei Mask," dating back to around 1920, created by the Iatmul people. You can find it here at the Minneapolis Institute of Art. Editor: It strikes me immediately with its intense, almost avian quality. The feathers are overwhelming; I’m also struck by how small it is and how meticulously crafted. Curator: Masks like this were, and are, powerfully significant. This object isn’t merely decorative; it's imbued with ancestral spirits and used in important ceremonies, often tied to initiation and male identity. The red pigment signifies blood and power, reflecting the cycle of life and death. Editor: Yes, and when you think about it as made around 1920, consider the laborious processes involved. Each feather painstakingly attached, the wood carefully carved...the intense human labor concentrated into one artifact is incredible. Also the pigments! Where were those derived from and who controlled those materials? Curator: Exactly. Consider how that bilateral symmetry also plays a part in the reading. The color variance, the placement of what look like circular, shell-like eyes… It's a symbolic language carefully constructed and read by those initiated into its meaning. Editor: The mixed media approach complicates any strict division between “art” and “craft”, really. You've got wood, pigments, feathers…a true convergence of resources. Were they trading for any of these goods, bartering, or gathering from very specific local materials? Curator: It points to complex networks of resource management and social collaboration that are part and parcel of these kind of ritual objects. These objects hold an encyclopedic array of meanings that extends well beyond aesthetics alone. Editor: And in looking, you find yourself face to face not just with this made thing, but all of these social connections, human hands, natural resources… it completely challenges notions of singular artistic creation! Curator: Indeed, and the endurance of these forms and the persistence of their symbolic potency within Iatmul culture is quite remarkable. Editor: Well, this certainly gives a lot to reflect on regarding the artistic, cultural, and social meanings intertwined within a single object. Curator: I find its staying power and ever relevant language within culture an incredible testimony to the significance of visuality, too.