ARTIST STATEMENT

MASKS (IDENTITIES)

I initiated this project within the context of the pandemic and the stay-at-home orders. Masks are very important because of how universal and evocative their symbolism has become. Their original purpose was not protection from the coronavirus, but now that is what they will be associated with forever. Masks mean something and everyone sees them. The idea that I can use them as a platform to acknowledge the importance of environmental issues, while still showing how masks protect us, was my starting point.

At the beginning, I started making faces and adding birds, insects, snakes, and other elements used in the Mayan culture. As I started experimenting more with the clay, the masks began morphing and getting bigger in size. Clay is a forgiving medium to work with, and it is very relaxing. I spend hours lost in thought and letting my imagination run free.

As I was working on this series, wild fires were destroying thousands of acres in California, adding to the stress of the pandemic. I started thinking about how devastating this was for our ecosystem. So I started making flora masks with carvings of yucca, golden poppies, and Joshua trees instead of the earlier animals. These masks are not supposed to be worn, but are instead to draw attention to the beauty, variety, fragility, and importance of the California desert flora.

In a time where so many people are concerned about the disappearance of biodiversity and the damage done to the environment, the masks are an original presentation of ecological issues. They call attention to the importance of wild plants and flowers that are threatened.

I have enjoyed imagining and making the masks with only my hands and a few tools. I tried to capture the iconography of Mayan culture, represent the flora of the desert, and use the mask symbolism caused by the pandemic, all while letting my imagination run free and create new identities.

- Edwin Vasquez