Face On, Face Off

Oh Noh, Noh, Noh

We—and probably you, too—have a weird subconscious block around any museums that aren’t specifically contemporary which leads us to assume all work inside was made by people who’ve long since passed. So every time we saw that gorgeous Hannya mask that serves as cover image for the Museum of International Folk Art’s Yōkai: Ghosts & Demons of Japan exhibit and accompanying monograph, we assumed it must be old enough that the artist’s name probably wouldn’t even be available. How wrong we were. Ichiyu Terai-san is alive and well, and he’s coming to Santa Fe.

Terai has mastered a complex constellation of Noh masks over the course of more than 45 years of study. Much like those of the Italian Commedia dell’arte style popular at Theater Grottesco, the masks represent emotional archetypes through codified exaggerations of human features. The Hannya, for instance (a particular specialty of Terai’s), personifies jealousy in the form of a horned female demon. The Kyoto-based artist channels each character—and the generations of mask-makers who carved before him—as he pulls features from the wood, likening the process to a form of “time trav- el.” And the passion behind his creations comes across so clearly that couture giant Valentino even partnered with the artist on the presentation of its Pre-Fall 2019 collection.

Yet the brilliance of Terai’s masks is most stunning in motion, when the tilt of a performer’s head can transform a snarling grimace into a wail of despair. Santa Fe isn’t exactly known as a bastion of Japanese stagecraft, so short of a traveling pro troupe making a miraculous appearance, Terai’s upcoming visit might be our best chance to encounter the unique magic of these masks outside the confines of a glass display case. The artist and his translator are setting up shop in the museum atrium for four days to chat with visitors while he labors on his latest creations. And as you watch the play of light across those carved cheeks, you may just catch a glimpse of their uncanny animation. (Siena

Sofia Bergt)

JAPANESE MASK-MAKING DEMONSTRATION

1-4 pm Thursday, June 1-Sunday, June 4. Free Museum of International Folk Art 706 Camino Lejo, (505) 476-1204