The mask, being itself a facilitator for anonymous freedom, gives the possibility of creating a space where one’s identity is not determined by one’s actual face but is instead blurred by a barrier that transforms it. It becomes an interface between one and others.
An object that on its own is deed-less comes to life while being used, perhaps not in a representational performance but rather as an exercise of self-deconstruction. Through the creation of new possible characters, the wearer is not obligated to fit into any type of specific behavior pattern otherwise expected within domesticated society.
To the subject that wears it, the mask invites repulsion or attraction. It creates a conscious space of illusion that can be seductive, frightening or even erotic- an object that has the faculty of becoming a magnet for the gaze.
Through the mask, the body is expanded in all levels. The presence becomes stronger by the act of giving life to the inert with just the decision to wear it.
The subject who wears it is invited to explore itself in the opposite direction of the mask, shielded from the outward in order to explore the inner psychological experience of being anonymous and behaving instinctually.
To the observer it heightens the curiosity to reveal who is behind it.
The possibility of using one’s body and face as a canvas upon which to reimagine oneself again and again opens the faculty of experimentation with shape, proportion and distortion.
In its wide range of possible fixed expressions, the mask has the potential to dislocate essential ideals and challenge social boundaries. These restrictions associated with the body project obscenity, absurdity, disgust and sometimes self-abuse.
Through the mask, the subconscious is revealed as the archetype is established and projected.
When the body becomes the mask, a portal is open for the manifestation of Multiple dimensions of reality or the invention of new ones
“Imagination lies in wait as the most powerful enemy. Naturally raw, and enamored of absurdity, It breaks out against all civilizing restraints like a savage who takes delight in grimacing idols.” [1] [JOHANN WOLFGANG VON] GOETHE
[1] MLA (Modern Language Assoc.)
Levine, Cary S. Pay for Your Pleasures : Mike Kelley, Paul McCarthy, Raymond Pettibon. University of Chicago Press, 2013.
APA (American Psychological Assoc.)
Levine, C. S. (2013). Pay for Your Pleasures : Mike Kelley, Paul McCarthy, Raymond Pettibon. University of Chicago Press.
*Carol Montealegre colombian Visual Artist, activist, and filmmaker. Investigates de creation of multiple possible realities