Rainforest Masks

Rainforest Masks 2009 marks the 5th in what has become an annual exhibition and sale celebrating the art of the people of Boruca. The artists are master carvers from an indigenous reserve surrounded by rainforest located in the south eastern part of Costa Rica. From March 6 to April 17, 2009, Marie Selby Botanical Garden's Museum of Botany and the Arts will be filled with their unique and striking masks.

Employing simple tools and traditions that have been passed down through generations, the masks are carved from native woods and intricately painted in vibrant acrylic pigments. Colorful and captivating images will thrill collectors as well as the first time observer.

Ceremonial masks have been part of the Borucan culture for centuries, pre-dating the Spanish Conquest. Original mask ceremonies celebrating fertility, ancestors and animal spirits have transformed over time into a 3 day festival taking place at the end of each year. This annual festival now known as “Juego de los Diabolitos” or “Play of the Little Devils” was born from the attempt to scare the unwelcomed invaders back to Spain with diabolito masks. Although the forbidding images failed to keep the Spanish out of Costa Rica, the Borucan people believe that they were successful in keeping the Spanish from conquering their spirit.

In the 1970’s the mask-carving tradition nearly died out as paper masks had begun to replace the hand-carved masks worn in their festival. Village elder, Ismael Gonzalez Rojas Sr. realized the severity of a situation that put important and valued aspects of the Borucans’ heritage at risk. He gathered a group of young men from the village and took it on himself to teach them the precious yet nearly lost skills. For his determination and dedication to passing on these traditions, he is considered a national treasure in Costa Rica and has received high awards for his efforts.

The inaugural exhibition in 2004 showcased a style of mask known as the “Ecologico”. These ecological masks usually include the face of a shaman or protector of the rainforest surrounded by vibrant and abundant images of the tropical flora and fauna that he is in service to protect. His expression is often that of concern, reflecting the seemingly impossible task of preserving the precious natural resources that the modern world seems intent on destroying. The concern about our natural environment is a universal issue that Selby shares with the people of Boruca, Sarasota and our world neighbors.

Each year’s new masks reflect the continuing growth or evolution of the artists’ imaginations. The 2009 exhibit will include Ecologico masks as well as Diabolito masks and Combinado masks. The Combinados morph with incredible creativity from images of animals and plants into diabolitos. A few traditional ceremony masks, such as those still worn in their annual festival, round out this year’s collection.