5/11/2020 The Surrealists'Publication: The Dance New York with Review the Yup'ik Mask | Gini Alhadeff | The New York Review of Books Date: June 3, 2018 5/11/2020TheAuthor: GiniSurr Alhadeffealists’ DanceThe Surrealists' with Dance the with Y theup’ik Yup'ik Mask | Gini Alhadeff | The New York Review of Books 5/11/2020 The Surrealists' Dance with the Yup'ik Mask | Gini Alhadeff | The New York Review of Books MaskThe Surrealists’ Dance with the Yup’ik The Surrealists’ GiniDance Alhadeff with the Yup’ik Mask Mask Gini Alhadeff At the Di Donna GallerieGinis on Alhadeff Madison Avenue, the masks At the Di Donna Galleries on Madison Avenue, the masks At the Di Donna Galleries on of the Yup’ik, an indigenous of the Yup’ik, an indigenous Madison Avenue, the masks people related to the Inuit, people related to the Inuit, of the Yup’ik, an indigenous seem to float off the dark seem to float off the dark people related to the Inuit, blue walls where they hang, blue walls where they hang, seem to float off the dark between paintings by Yves bebtlwuee ewna lplsa iwnhtienreg sth bey hYavnegs, Tanguy and André Masson, Tabnegtwueye na npda iAntinndgrsé b My Yavsseos n, Joan Miró and Enrico Donati, JoTaann gMuyir aón adn Adn Edrnér iMcoas Dsoonn, ati, Victor Brauner and Wolfgang ViJcotaonr MBirraóu annedr Eannrdic Wo Doolfngaatin,g Donald Ellis Gallery Paalen—all Surrealists, most PaVailcetnor— Barallu nSeurr arneda lWisotsl,f gmanogst Donald Ellis GYup’ikallery mask that once belonged to André Breton, from of whom fled wartiDmoneald Ellis Gallery Paalen—all Surrealists, most Yup’ik mask that once belonged to André Breton,Goodnews from Bay, Alaska, late nineteenth to early twentieth of whom fled wartime Yup’ikGoodnews maskE uthat rBayo oncep,e Alaska, ibelongedn the late 1 to9 nineteenthAndré40s f Broreton, N toe frearlywom twentieth century of whom fled wartime Europe in the 1940s for New Goodnews BayYo, rAlaska,k. Th latee c nineteenthoncenturynect itoo nearly twentieth Europe in the 1940s for New century between the Surrealists’ productions and the Yup’ik artefacts in YoYrokr.k .T Thhee ccoonnnecttiioonn the installation is never direct: they seem, rather, to have drifted bebtewtweeenn t hthee SSurreeaalliisststs’ ’p rpordoudcuticotnios nasn da nthde tYhuep Y’iku par’tiekf aacrttse ifnacts in together naturally. thteh ein isntsatallalattiioonn is nneevveer rd diriercetc: tt:h ethye sye esmee, mrat,h rear,t htoe rh,a tvoe hdarivftee d rifted totgoegtehtheer rn naattuurrally.. The first mask on entering, from Goodnews Bay, Alaska, which once belonged to André Breton, has one round eye, carved out, The first mask on entering, from Goodnews Bay, Alaska, which The first mask on entering, from Goodande wonse B slaayn,t eAdl, alsikkea a, nw ahlmicohnd set at an angle. The nostrils are once belonged to André Breton, has one round eye, carved out, once belonged to André Breton, has olnoep srioduedn;d o enye eis, cgararcveedd b oyu wt,hiskers, the other by a kind of and one slanted, like an almond set at an angle. The nostrils are and one slanted, like an almond set at eayne barnogwl.e A. T lihttele n woosotrdielsn afirseh is poised to jump into the mask’s lopsided; one is graced by whiskers, the other by a kind of mouth. Hands emerge from its temples. Nearby is a painting by loepyseibdreodw; .o An eli titsle g wraocoedden b fyis wh ihsi spkoiesresd, toh eju omthp einr tboy th ae kmiansdk ’osf Joan Miró—Peinture, (La Sirène) (1927)—in which a flowing eymebourothw. .H Aan ldist telem wergoeo dfreonm f iitssh t eims ploeiss. eNde taorb jyu ims pa pinaitnot itnhge b my ask’s curvy figure consists of splotches of color, suggesting an arm or mJoouatnh M. Hiraón—dPs eeimntuereg,e ( Lfrao Smir èitnse )t e(m19p2l7e)s—. Nine wahrbicyh ias falo pwaiinngting by the tail of a siren, with a little fish poised over its face. Jocaunr vMy fiirgóu—re Pcoeninsitsutrse o,f ( sLpalo Stcihreèsn eo)f c(o1l9o2r,7 s)u—ggiens twinhgi acnh aar mfl oowr ing cutrhvey ta fiilg ouf rae sciroenns, iwstisth o af lsitptlleo ftcishhe pso oisfe cdTo ohlvoeer rm, isatuss kgfasg caeers.et imngad aen o af rdmrif otwrood, from villages placed at the mouths of enormous rivers—the Yukon and Kuskokwim—in an thTe htea iml aosfk as asriere mna, dwei othf dar ilfittwtloeo fdi,s hfr opmo ivsieldla goevse prl aitcse dfa acte t.he arctic landscape with no trees. Spring flooding brought down mouths of enormous rivers—the Yukon and Kuskokwim—in an The masks are made of driftwood, frolmar gvei ltlraugneks , pmlaocsteldy caet dtahre and fir, from the interior. “The mask arctic landscape with no trees. Spring flooding brought down was put on the dancer,” said Donald Ellis, who co-curated the mloaurgthe str ounf kesn, omromstolyu sc erdivare rasn—d ftihr,e f rYoumk tohne ianntedr iKoru. s“kTohke wmiamsk—in an show with Emmanuel Di Donna, “and as the dancer began to arwctaisc plaunt odns cthaep ed awncitehr, ”n osa tidre Deso.n Salpdr Einllgis f, lwoohod icnog-c buraotuegd htht edown sing and dance, it was activated and became a conduit between lasrghoew tr wunitkhs E, mmmoasntluye lc Dedi aDr oannnda , f“iar,n fdr oasm th teh dea inncteerr iboerg.a “nT tohe mask the physical and the spiritual world.” The masks often have arms wsaisn gp uant do nd atnhcee ,d iat nwcaesr ,a”c tsivaaidte dD aonnda blde cEamllies ,a wcohnod uciot -bceutwraeteend the and hands, but never thumbs, so that the conduit would not be the physical and the spiritual world.” The masks often have arms show with Emmanuel Di Donna, “anda balse tthoe h doladn bcaecrk b tehgea snp itroit summoned by the mask and traveling and hands, but never thumbs, so that the conduit would not be sing and dance, it was activated and boeuctawmaerd a i nctoon tdheu iwt obreldtw. Meeanny of the masks have a plate on the able to hold back the spirit summoned by the mask and traveling the physical and the spiritual world.” Tinhsied em faosrk ths eo dftaennc ehr atov eb iater msos that the mask would appear to outward into the world. Many of the masks have a plate on the float in front of the face. In fact, the Yup’ik term for mask anidns hidaen fdosr, tbheu td annecveerr t oth buitme bsos ,t hsaot thea tm thasek cwoonudlud iat pwpeoaurl tdo not be translates to “face in front of the face,” or floating face. It took abflleo atto i nh ofrlodn tb oafc tkh eth fea csep. iIrni tf ascutm, thmeo Ynuepd’ ibk yte trhme fmora mska saknd traveling extraordinary skill to dance with a large mask held between the outrtawnaslradt eisn too “tfhaec ew ino rflrdo.n tM oaf nthye ofafc teh,”e omr aflsokasti nhga vfaec ea. pItl atoteo kon the teeth. The ceremonial dances took place in the qasgiq, or inesxidtrea ofrodri ntharey dsaknillc etor dtoan bciet ew sitoh tah laatr gteh em masaks hke lwd obuetlwd eaepnp tehaer to “communal men’s house”—darkened spaces lit by whale-oil floteaett hin. Tfhroe ncte roefm tohnei afla dcaen. cIens ftaocotk, pthlaec eY iunp t’hiek qtaesrgmiq f, oorr mask lamps in shallow stone bowls. tra“ncosmlamteusn taol “mfeanc’es hino ufsreo”n—t odfa rtkheen efda csep,a”c eosr lfitl obayt iwnhga lfea-coeil. It took exltarmaopsr dinin sahrayll oskwi lslt oton ed baonwcles .with a largAen mdréa sBkr ehteolnd a bnde tMwaene nR athye had first seen Yup’ik masks teAetnhd. rTé hBer ectoenre amndo nMiaaln dRaanyces took place in the qasgiq, or in 1935 in Paris at the Galerie “choamd mfirustn saele mn Yenup’s’ ihk omuassek”s—darkened spaces lit by whale-oil Charles Ratton in Paris. But in 1935 in Paris at the Galerie lamps in shallow stone bowls. it was Max Ernst who Charles Ratton in Paris. But introduced his friends to a Aint dwréas B Mreatxo Enr nasntd w Mhoan Ray trove of them in Manhattan. introduced his friends to a had first seen Yup’ik masks He was walking down Third trove of them in Manhattan. in 1935 in Paris at the Galerie Avenue one day when he He was walking down Third Charles Ratton in Paris. But spotted a spoon from the Avenue one day when he it was Max Ernst who Northwest Coast in the spotted a spoon from the window of Julius Carlebach’s inNtrordthuwceedst hCiosa fsrti ienn tdhse to a antiques shop. Ernst’s wife, trowvined oofw t hoef mJu liinu sM Carnlhebaattcahn’s. the painter Dorothea Haen wtiqause ws sahlokpin. gE rdnostw’sn w Tifhe,ird Tanning, told the story: Ernst Avtheen puaei notenre D doaryo twhehaen he went in to ask about the spToatntendin ag , stpooldo tnh ef rsotomry t: hEernst Successió Miró/Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York/ADAGP, spoon and, when he Paris went in to ask about the Northwest Coast in the Successió Miró/Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York/ADAGP, https://wwwsp.nybooks.com/daily/2018/06/03/the-surrealists-dance-with-the-yupik-mask/oon and, when he Paris 1/6 window of Julius Carlebach’s https://www.nybooks.com/daily/2018/06/03/the-surrealists-dance-with-the-yupik-mask/antiques shop. Ernst’s wife, 1/6 the painter Dorothea Tanning, told the story: Ernst went in to ask about the Successió Miró/Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York/ADAGP, spoon and, when he Paris https://www.nybooks.com/daily/2018/06/03/the-surrealists-dance-with-the-yupik-mask/ 1/6 5/11/2020 The Surrealists' Dance with the Yup'ik Mask | Gini Alhadeff | The New York Review of Books The Surrealists’ Dance with the Yup’ik Mask Gini Alhadeff At the Di Donna Galleries on Madison Avenue, the masks of the Yup’ik, an indigenous people related to the Inuit, seem to float off the dark blue walls where they hang, between paintings by Yves Tanguy and André Masson, Joan Miró and Enrico Donati, Victor Brauner and Wolfgang Paalen—all Surrealists, most Donald Ellis Gallery Yup’ik mask that once belonged to André Breton, from of whom fled wartime Goodnews Bay, Alaska, late nineteenth to early twentieth Europe in the 1940s for New century York.