Body Mask

Sherrie Levine explores the notion of originality and creativity. In Body Mask, she transposes into bronze a wooden body mask worn by men during initiation rituals in East Africa. The protruding belly of the mask signifies the gestation of a life as sculpted by men. 
By appropriating these creations, Levine is questioning the concept of art arising out of absolutely nothing, without any sense of ascendancy or references. It considers the discrepancy between original and copy in terms of a cyclical movement of forms, all the more so in forms such as these, which call for a universal interpretation of the birth of life.