Hiding an emotion is easier with the assistance of a mask, but at ‘Mask Factor’, an exhibition brought to the city by Kynkyny Art, the paintings on sculpted masks try to reverse that notion.
Hiding an emotion is easier with the assistance of a mask, but at ‘Mask Factor’, an exhibition brought to the city by Kynkyny Art, the paintings on sculpted masks try to reverse that notion, as they are meant to offer a peek into the minds of the artists who’ve painted them. Curated by Avinash Gupte and Rajiv Punater, this exhibition showcases the work of 15 artists.
“The artists were given masks to paint,” says Gupte. “With that we were already restricting the artists,” he adds.
Punater, who is curating the show along with Gupte says, “Masks are usually thought of as a means of hiding something. Contrary to that popular notion, this exhibition aims to show that they can also reveal a lot.” Punater says, “We gave the artists masks to paint with a directive, that their art work on the mask reveal a phase of their life.”
Gupte was once visiting a friend near Udupi. On one of his outings, Gupte noticed that people kept a distance while talking to tribals. “I found that odd,” he says. “But later, when the tribals came out with masks (of a war goddess), those who had kept a safe distance until then, came forward to touch the tribals’ feet,” he recounts. “That made an impact on me,” says Gupte, “The masks brought an immediate change in attitude. A complete transformation.”
Gupte says, “With this exhibition I wanted to recapture that moment of transformation by asking the artists to offer a glimpse into themselves.”
Over a period of three years, their collection of paintings (on masks) has grown to 100. Punater shares an example of how each painted sculptor reveals a phase in the life of that particular artist: “One of the artists featured was getting married and shifting base to the US. She chose to express the new beginning in her life by painting boats on the mask, symbolic of going overseas.” Punater adds, “That mask was the first to sell in our previous exhibition held in Mumbai.”
A look at the exhibition of paintings on sculpted masks reveals that the good old canvas wouldn’t have had the same effect. “Unlike a canvas, which is plain, the mask, as a medium brings forth a more dramatic affect, as it has contours (eyes, nose, lips),” say the curators. “The many masks on display are figurative and abstract and are sure to make a connect with the audience,” they add.
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=spacer}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
)
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
)
)
)
)
)
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}