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Artist StatementMythic Figures In the Spring of 1997 I was inspried by an exhibition of primitive Mexican masks on display at the Museum of Anthropology at the University of Arizona. The mask has been used in rituals and myths of many cultures for centuries. The ancient history of man is meaningfully rediscovered today in symbolic artifacts that have survived. I do not intend these photographs to be a view of the other, but rather an introspective view of human nature. The mask is usually thought to hide an identity but I use the mask to depict inner characteristics which are not readily observed or evident. The mask can represent many expressions of meaning; protection, concealment, transformation, non-being. A mask may represent animal instinctual wisdom from which man can learn and it can also represent man's animal nature. Masks in sacred plays or rituals portray the supernatural forces of deities represented. The mask can reveal or conceal the identity of the wearer. It can be either unifying or identifying-one of many of like appearances or singular in its uniqueness. When worn by an unclothed person, it does both. Each body is unique and yet unidentifiable to the audience. I am intrigued by the mask as a symbol that reflects the human psyche. Inner characteristics, normally hidden by an outward personality, are exposed. The mask is liberating, allowing the freedom and courage to expose the self beyond the roles generally acceptable to the norm. It is this aspect of the mask that I am interested in portraying-the revelation of another, perhaps even dual persona. |
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