Over the course of this semester I have focused on the art of mask making by exploring the form of the mask, the function and, most recently the emotional content behind masks as a literal and non-literal form. My research, writing, sketching, and mask making tactics have been both enjoyable and therapeutic as I unveil the secrets that hide behind my own “mask.”
At the beginning, I was interested in the details, patterns, and shapes of the Venetian style of mask making. Then I became interested in the function that masks serve in other cultures, particularly the African culture. The book, Things Fall Apart, by Chinua Achebe, especially inspired me. The visual representation of Gods in masks led me to think about my own idea of “God,” and even what that means to me.
As I continued my work with the project and dealt with some of my own emotional stress, I started to think about masks in a less literal sense, and explored the idea of masks within faces, and the idea of what a mask literally does. A mask is literally a form that covers some portion of the face, but it does not cover the eyes. I then thought about a face that is not wearing a mask, particularly my own face and thought about how you do not need a literal mask to hide your emotions from the world. But these expressions cannot veil the “window to the soul.” So then I thought about the way masks avoid the eyes, and are they avoiding the eyes? Or are they framing the eyes? What about the eyes are unapproachable to the concept of masks? As a disguise, what are they hiding? What do we want to hide from the world? And are we successful at hiding? Do the masks help or hinder us in our struggle? These questions have inspired my writing and my work as an artist, and I feel as though I am only on the surface of this concept.
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