SAS Art Class

UNMASKED SERIES

Unmasked Series is a photographic triptych by Dominic Ariola. In this series one teenage boy is represented in three different compositions, all of which contain him and a mexican wrestling mask. The first photo shows the boy through the cracks in a broken mirror where he is wearing the mask. The second photo shows the boy standing backlit on a hill, yet again wearing the mask. In the third photo the boy holds the mask out towards the viewer, and through the eye hole his face is visible and in focus. 

 Unmasked Series is a representation of the threshold between self-uncertainty and being content with one’s identity. The out-of-place mask makes the series an absurd window into the boy’s mind where these ideas circulate. In this series, the mask symbolizes the struggle of identity. Additionally,  The way in which the boy’s face is obscured throughout the series is representative of the essential questions of this piece: What does it mean to be human? What does it mean to be a man? While these questions are not explicitly answered, the final photograph shows the boy without the mask on his head. It is instead in his grasp, as if he were putting it down for good. This hints at a positive resolution to the series as a whole. On the other hand, the first photograph shows the initial fracture of the boy’s self-image with an actual fractured mirror. The second photo is in the center of the threshold, shown by the boy’s regal posture and angelic rim lighting, however he is still wearing the mask that embodies his conflict.