(Dé)Masquer / (Un)Masking / (Des)Enmascararse

This mask ensemble, rather than dissimulate or alter the notion of identity, reflects the individual experiences as well as the social questions – hence political – linked to the pandemic.

The works of art presented in this exhibition function like processes and forms of reasoning, that review the connection between our confined bodies and space, the implications of physical limitations in social interaction and our own identity. Created at the artist’s home-workshop over the pandemic, the masks and costumes also explore the way this “new normality” has affected the life of women, working mothers, children and teenagers, as well as immigrant communities, still affected by distance. These masks were made from everyday life materials and household items such as tea bags and washing machine lint, stones and flowers, coloured sponges and fibers from gold and silver, tags, zippers and buttons, shrunken clothes and slimming corsets that make breathing difficult. Also found are overalls made from bird cages and metal thermal blankets –  used for emergency shelter – and cocoons made of nylon stocking. 

Functioning as liminal spaces that broadcast, protect and limit the body, several of these works have been made active by a series of participants, friends and family of the artist. The photos resulting from these interactions reflect a diverse array of experiences and visions, mixing stories structured through personal memories, as well as by common circumstances that have affected us in these times of social distancing.  

Thus, while interpersonal relations have become even more distant, this exhibition shows us to what extent the pandemic has changed the way we perceive ourselves and the world that surrounds us, the way we relate, enabling us to connect to other forms of coexistence. 

Vernissage April 30th, 1 p.m. to 3 p.m.

Credits

This project was realized in collaboration with :  

• Pedro Orozco 
• Matías Orozco Ezcurra 
• Eugenia Orozco Ezcurra 
• Julia von Hertwig Moratti Rosa 
• Lev 
• Mekseb 

Project realized with the support of the Canada Council for the Arts and the Conseil des arts et des lettres du Québec. 

Thanks for the support of Café 92, Remigio Valdés de Hoyos, Serge Murphy and the other participants that prefer not to be named.