Mask 1: Assimilate (plastic face mold + horns, flowers, acrylic, photography, digital illustration; 2020)
Mask 2: Educate (plastic face mold, polymer clay brain sculpture, acrylic, photography, digital illustration; 2020)
Mask 3: Endure (plastic face mold, moss, dirt, flowers, digital illustration; 2020)
My series “Unmasked” will explore a small sampling of the anti-semitism I have encountered in the digital dating world. From the seemingly innocent (”you’re pretty for a jewish girl”), to the ignorant (”do all jews have big noses?”) to the disturbing hateful (“fuck you, kike”), each selected message will manifest itself in a different mask. The mask of the oppressor and the mask of the oppressed. Each hiding its own truth. A stolen memory: We had been instructed to hide, while others’ fear, hatred and bigotry was publicly celebrated. And we still hide, sometimes figuratively behind masks, but many other times behind doors, walls, others words and our own silence. Let us unmask the oppressors so that the oppressed may be free.
For the final piece in my “Unmasked” Series, I wanted to visually show the idea of past vs future, and how not forgetting the past, while also embracing the future, is a form of endurance. It is not weakness to remember past struggles, but strength. The left side represents the past. It is dark, there are no flowers blooming, the eyes are vacant. As your gaze travels to the right (the future), life begins to bloom again. A small sprout peeks out from an eye socket. Flowers garnish the faces that have been left behind. Life is in full bloom. We have endured worse, and one day these time now will become the memory we keep, reminding us of how strong we truly are. 🌱🌸
I have been wanting to create a series based on my jewish heritage for a while, but wasn’t sure how to do that in an inclusive, artful and impactful way. I recently had the opportunity to visit Israel (returning a week before the Coronavirus erupted) and was inspired to dig into my collection of dating app messages (re: anti-semitism themed) and curate a series that felt relevant and powerful, especially after connecting with so much jewish culture last month. Even though “Unmasked” speaks to the anti-Semitic messages I personally have received on dating apps, I believe that any marginalized person (gender, skin color, religion, etc) can relate many of the themes expressed. The idea that oppressors often wear masks to hide their true nature, and that the oppressed have learned to mask their true identities for their own safety, or to preserve some sense of self, is a universal experience for anyone who has been oppressed by bigotry, racism and closed-mindedness.