Today we walked a few blocks then jumped on tram number 7 which took us to one of the newest museums in Antwerp, the Museum aan de Stroom, or MAS. The MAS resembles a stack of warehouses, each offset by a quarter turn.
MAS is not an art museum, at least judging by the current displays. It is more a cultural and historical museum with a roof-top deck, space for studying, an area for dance lessons, and a cafe that serves a tasty sandwich.
As I was walking down an aisle between the cages that hold pieces of the MAS permanent collection, I noticed this mask and thought, boy this looks familiar. I then pointed my phone at the QR code and discovered why it looked familiar—the mask is local to Vancouver Island. (We also encountered examples of island art at Paris' Musée du Quai Branly.)
Hamatsa Double Mask
Tom Hunt Sr. (1942-2017, carving); John Livingston (1951-2019, painting)
Kwakwaka wakw, Vancouver Island, British Columbia, Canada, 1999
Cedar wood, bark and acrylic paint
MAS, AE.2000.0182
Purchased from John Livingston, 1999
Secret Mask
Originally, this type of mask appeared only during secret initiation rites of the Hamatsa society among the Kwakwaka'wakw. The masks dramatically portrayed so-called
'cannibals' who were eventually tamed.
Typically, the two mythical creatures—the
'man-eating raven' and the 'crooked beak of heaven'—were separate masks. Here they are
combined into one. Strings allow the dancer to clatter the beaks.
As I was walking down an aisle between the cages that hold pieces of the MAS permanent collection, I noticed this mask and thought, boy this looks familiar. I then pointed my phone at the QR code and discovered why it looked familiar—the mask is local to Vancouver Island. (We also encountered examples of island art at Paris' Musée du Quai Branly.)
Hamatsa Double Mask
Tom Hunt Sr. (1942-2017, carving); John Livingston (1951-2019, painting)
Kwakwaka wakw, Vancouver Island, British Columbia, Canada, 1999
Cedar wood, bark and acrylic paint
MAS, AE.2000.0182
Purchased from John Livingston, 1999
Secret Mask
Originally, this type of mask appeared only during secret initiation rites of the Hamatsa society among the Kwakwaka'wakw. The masks dramatically portrayed so-called
'cannibals' who were eventually tamed.
Typically, the two mythical creatures—the
'man-eating raven' and the 'crooked beak of heaven'—were separate masks. Here they are
combined into one. Strings allow the dancer to clatter the beaks.
As I was walking down an aisle between the cages that hold pieces of the MAS permanent collection, I noticed this mask and thought, boy this looks familiar. I then pointed my phone at the QR code and discovered why it looked familiar—the mask is local to Vancouver Island. (We also encountered examples of island art at Paris' Musée du Quai Branly.)
Hamatsa Double Mask
Tom Hunt Sr. (1942-2017, carving); John Livingston (1951-2019, painting)
Kwakwaka wakw, Vancouver Island, British Columbia, Canada, 1999
Cedar wood, bark and acrylic paint
MAS, AE.2000.0182
Purchased from John Livingston, 1999
Secret Mask
Originally, this type of mask appeared only during secret initiation rites of the Hamatsa society among the Kwakwaka'wakw. The masks dramatically portrayed so-called
'cannibals' who were eventually tamed.
Typically, the two mythical creatures—the
'man-eating raven' and the 'crooked beak of heaven'—were separate masks. Here they are
combined into one. Strings allow the dancer to clatter the beaks.
The MAS devotes a whole floor to what life was like in Nazi-occupied Antwerp in WWII. The displays include the war's timeline, maps, photographs, newspapers stories, testimonials, and more. If you can get through this without shedding tears, well, you are stronger than me.
The MAS devotes a whole floor to what life was like in Nazi-occupied Antwerp in WWII. The displays include the war's timeline, maps, photographs, newspapers stories, testimonials, and more. If you can get through this without shedding tears, well, you are stronger than me.
The MAS devotes a whole floor to what life was like in Nazi-occupied Antwerp in WWII. The displays include the war's timeline, maps, photographs, newspapers stories, testimonials, and more. If you can get through this without shedding tears, well, you are stronger than me.
