Nirasawa decorated African masks (which she bought at the street market in South Africa) with the rhinestones (fake diamonds made in China). Replica masks covered by the replica diamonds: this project is a metaphor of dual fakes/lies. However, we have to think what is the between the truth and the lie? Also, what determines original or the fake?
For example, the mask has been used for the rituals, ceremonies in Africa. To wear mask makes people transform beyond human, also give them another personality. Still, certain tribal people in Africa use the exact same style of rituals as a few thousands years ago. Each tribe has its own characteristics in its design and usage, but these are kept as secrets and are not disclosed to outsiders. They never can tell the secret to anybody outside of community. Then, after all, nobody else the truth of the mask could be exposed to, except people in the tribe. What is the way to know the border between truth or lie about the informations and knowledge of the masks? What we could see in the museum or in books is ambiguous? Unfortunately it is impossible for us to know what is the truth of the masks. Actually all literature about masks were written by the people outside of the original community so far. Is it too much to say that nobody could know the values of the original masks from Africa except people in the tribe?
For example, the mask has been used for the rituals, ceremonies in Africa. To wear mask makes people transform beyond human, also give them another personality. Still, certain tribal people in Africa use the exact same style of rituals as a few thousands years ago. Each tribe has its own characteristics in its design and usage, but these are kept as secrets and are not disclosed to outsiders. They never can tell the secret to anybody outside of community. Then, after all, nobody else the truth of the mask could be exposed to, except people in the tribe. What is the way to know the border between truth or lie about the informations and knowledge of the masks? What we could see in the museum or in books is ambiguous? Unfortunately it is impossible for us to know what is the truth of the masks. Actually all literature about masks were written by the people outside of the original community so far. Is it too much to say that nobody could know the values of the original masks from Africa except people in the tribe?
作品に使用したマスクは、南アフリカの路上マーケットで購入した。そのマスクを中国産のラインストーンで装飾した。フェイクのダイヤモンドで覆われたレプリカのマスクのオブジェは、フェイク（嘘）の二重塗りだ。しかし、そもそもオリジナルとは何か？真実とは何か？マスクは、アフリカでは儀式やセレモニーに使われてきた。マスクをかぶることで別の人格を得たり、人間を超えた別の存在に変身する。現代もなお、ある部族は何千年前と変わらない形式でマスクを使用する。そのデザインや使用用途に各部族の特徴が見受けられるが、それは彼らの秘密に守られており、よそ者に口外することはない。マスクの真実はその部族の人々にしかわからない。つまるところ、部外者には真実を知る方法がない。とすれば、我々一般人が目にする書物や博物館で見かけるアフリカのマスクの情報とは、外部の人間に書かれたものであり、それが真実か嘘か非常に曖昧ではないかと考える。
the Mask - True, I have raped history, but it has produced some beautiful offspring
2021 / African mask covered with the fake diamonds / 38 x 20 x 19 cm
2021 / African mask covered with the fake diamonds / 38 x 20 x 19 cm
Picasso stole designs from the style of African art. He admitted it himself actually. He represented the designs to the world. The rich culture from Africa has mostly been represented through the context of Western culture. Even more, the African design that we see nowadays, has already transformed into other things not original to Africa. Sometimes lies turn into the truth through long years. Also, the truth turn into lies. These lie and truth accumulations create history. The interaction between truth and lie enrich culture. Throughout time, context has been the most important aspect of art work; not the intrinsic value of the original object or even the material or the concept used to create it.
ピカソがアフリカの彫刻のデザインを「盗み」（本人が供述）、作品スタイルとして世に出した。我々外国人が学ぶアフリカの豊かな文化の多くは、まずは西洋に奪われ、そして西洋が新たに生みだした概念が加わって成り立つ。それは既にオリジナルのアフリカ文化ではない。
しかし、嘘は長い年月の中で真実に変わっていく。真実も同様に嘘に変わっていく。それらの蓄積が「歴史」を作り、我々の潜在意識に潜り込み血肉となる。長い年月を経て、嘘か真実かを超えて芸術作品が価値を持った時、嘘の素材に装飾されたマスクでも真の価値を持つことになるのだろうか？
しかし、嘘は長い年月の中で真実に変わっていく。真実も同様に嘘に変わっていく。それらの蓄積が「歴史」を作り、我々の潜在意識に潜り込み血肉となる。長い年月を経て、嘘か真実かを超えて芸術作品が価値を持った時、嘘の素材に装飾されたマスクでも真の価値を持つことになるのだろうか？
the Mask - The destruction of the past is perhaps the greatest of all crimes
2021 / African mask covered with the fake diamonds / 46 x 20 x 12 cm
2021 / African mask covered with the fake diamonds / 46 x 20 x 12 cm
the Mask - History is a myth agreed upon
2020 / African mask covered with the fake diamonds / 40 x 21 x 14 cm
2020 / African mask covered with the fake diamonds / 40 x 21 x 14 cm
the Mask - A lie that is half-truth is the darkest of all lies
2020 / African mask covered with the fake diamonds / 46 x 13 x 12 cm
2020 / African mask covered with the fake diamonds / 46 x 13 x 12 cm
