GALEMBO, Phyllis. Maske.

(London): Chris Boot, 2010.First edition. Hardcover. 24 × 22 cm. 208 pages. With 108 colour photographs. Introduction by Chika Okeke-Agulu. A striking survey of masquerade traditions across Africa and the African Diaspora, photographed in Nigeria, Zambia, Burkina Faso, Sierra Leone, Ghana and Haiti. Galembo’s vivid, formally composed portraits document elaborate costumes, masks and body paint, transforming their wearers into fantastical figures, spirits and mythic characters. The photographs balance documentary observation with a highly sophisticated sense of colour, costume and theatrical presence. A very good copy in dustwrapper.