These African masks and jewelry were made to be worn by fictional figures. NATALI WISEMAN
When I entered the space at Seattle Art Museum that contains Saya Woolfalk’s installation ChimaTEK: Virtual Chimeric Space, I immediately noticed four black boys staring at the work with amazement.
And though ChimaTEK is certainly captivating—with its swirling and brilliant colors, its hypnotic music, its enigmatic blend of the ancient with the high-tech and the traditions of West African art with the processes of experimental science—I was certain that something else was connecting their eyes and minds to the installation. The work is now a part of the museum’s permanent collection and the centerpiece of the exhibit Lessons from the Institute of Empathy.
