Kifebe Songie
The most popular masks created by the Songye people are worn in connection with the Kifwebe secret society.
The Kifwebe society used their masks to ward off any threat or disaster. By means of supernatural force, the mask has the capacity to heal. It is attached with a woven costume and beard of raffia bast, and danced at different ceremonies. Each mask, colors and costumes all have symbolic meaning.
Kifwebe masks represent either male or female beings.
Both mask types are characterized by angular and thrusting forms, and in both cases the entire face is covered in patterns of geometric grooves that are uniquely characteristic of these masks. The male dancers who wear the male mask dance aggressively; with the aim of encouraging social conformity, on the other hand, the dancer who wears the female mask display more gentle and controlled movements and is assumed to be associated with reproduction ceremonies.
Kifwebe masks played a central role in Songye society enacting control over the social order, and participating in crucial activities such as initiations. This face mask only formed part of a costume ensemble that also included a hood, shirt, and pants made of woven bark, completed by diverse implementsin animal skins, furs, and feathers.
ORFELD IS A VIRTUAL ARTIST WHO MAKES OBJECTS AT THE INTERSECTION OF HISTORY AND PRESENT
He uses innovative approach to produce works that mark evolution in the artistic world.
The artist rethinks unique ritual objects from antiquity to 19th century by adding metallized coating, actualizing initial piece and give it a reborn.
Orfeld imprisoning, perpetuating it in a timeless way. He makes it exist differently. It is about bringing unfairly anonymous objects back to light.
Orfeld’s art confronts the viewer with a fusion — a form of temporal, cultural and artistic synchronization with our times.
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