Kpan Pre/Kpan
The Kpan masks represent a female’s time or place within the community. It consists in pairs to correspond to balance in needing a male, who is differentiated by being the color red while female is black. It has multiple acts, which show what place in time that person is in. The first is a pair of disc-faced masks that show the youthful, wild, foolish children. The next pair of wild animal helmet masks represents the teenage years of being dangerous and wild. The third pair of horned face masks signifies youthful females of beauty and grace. Finally, two human-faced masks end the dance with a wise and mature act.[1] Wood, pigments and patina construct these multiple masks. It relates by being the female part to a pair act dancing the stages of life.
[1]
Visonà, Monica Blackmun, Robin Poynor, and Herbert M. Cole. A History of Art in Africa. 2nd ed. Upper Saddle River, N.J: Pearson/Prentice Hall,2008.