NUDE IDENTITY: MASKS

I start with the proposition that a gap exists between the face we
see in the mirror and our inner residing recognition of self. I am
curious how this awareness plays out among people. To explore
this idea I start with a naked body, which holds it's own primal
set of meanings. Then I add to it first a mask, then a fan or other
artifacts, all of which apply their own particular meaning to the
image.

The images made have their own sense of identity, largely from
the mask used, but also modified by the angle of the pose and the
nature of the light defining the image. To me these characters
seem to be caught up in a narrative, frequently in a state of
emotional conflict.

Equal to the mask, the dramatic effect of light and shadow set
the scene in which these characters appear: set in a dark void
at times, or as in more recent work, quietly revealing the
artifacts of a room. I find the conflict of light and shadow serves
to alternatively constrict or release the character, strengthening
the emotional scene and adding nuance to the character's identity.

This body of work benefits from two disparate influences. I have
always been impressed by the purity and authority of Irving
Penn's photography and one can rightly view this body of work
as portraiture. Secondly, the starkness and interior drama of
Butoh, Japanese avant-garde theater, pushes me to explore
and experiment with the use of shadows, the male nude, and
the disquieting character of the masks themselves.