Mask (III) - carrying forward, leaving behind , 2022
porcelain (slip-cast and burn-out), reflective acrylic
dimensions variable, reference: 250cm X 130cm X 35cm
Installation view,
The Vessel: contained within and moving between, Lake Art Prize 2022 Finalist Exhibition,
Museum of Art and Culture yapang, Lake Macquarie, Australia, 2022
Two types of facemasks sit on a reflective surface.
The ghostly shells were facemasks once used. They were memory vessels imprinted with my speech, thoughts and emotion. Dipped in clay and fired, ephemeral memories were transformed materially, preserved in eternity. They are deceptively fragile and resilient.
The other are facemask-form vessels produced in multiples through slip-casting. Pristine new vessels for new objects, stories and wishes for the future.
The two forms of masks intermingle, interact and reflect back on us as we look.
I made this work after relocating back to Australia having spent 2019 to 2022 in China. I reflected on the experience with a bit of distance.