Venetian Mask
Medium: New Zealand marble with black and white ribbon
Dimensions: 195 mm x 130 mm x 80 mm.
Year: 2004
For sale.
Background: In 2002 my husband and I travelled to Italy and Greece. While in Venice I was taken with the masquerade masks and the concept of hiding one's true identity and emotions. I purchased a full face mask and upon my return used it as the basis for Venetian Mask.
A Maori rock drawing design has been carved into and across the Venetian masquerade mask. The rock drawing represents a a stingray, a spiritual protector. The mask has been excavated at the back to allow it to be worn on the face, secured with a black and a white silk ribbon. It is wearable but is heavy and is more suitable as a wall hanging sculpture.
My selection of material was significant, I chose New Zealand marble and carved a Maori motif changing the context and meaning of the mask. The motif cut through the surface allowing the viewer to see through when the mask was worn. The concept of a mask or glasses as a vehicle for our cultural viewing was born. This carving was the seed that flourished into the ethnoglasses series that is the center of my Masters body of work.