Becoming Another illuminates the common threads and distinct differences in mask traditions from northern India, Nepal, Bhutan, Tibet, Mongolia, Siberia, Japan, and the Northwest coast tribes of North America. Featuring masks used in shamanistic practices, communal rituals, and theatrical performances, this exhibition speaks to the human impulse to transform one’s identity.
Jan Van Alphen is the former chief curator at the Rubin Museum of Art. He was also assistant curator of the India and Southeast Asia department at the Royal Museums of Art and History in Brussels, and in 1984 he became Asia curator in the Ethnographic Museum of Antwerp.
Support of this exhibition is provided by the E. Rhodes and Leona B. Carpenter Foundation and Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group. Additional support has been provided through public funds from the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs in partnership with the City Council, and through the 2015 Exhibitions Fund.
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