Mask Off
Body hair, beer, bonk.
At the tail end of the last letter, we touched on masks and their potential as weapons against surveillance and as potential symbols of radical movements - even cringey ones. Which got me thinking….masks are really sexy sometimes. In honour of this, here’s a list of some of my favourite masks and mask makers, in no particular order.
A favourite mutual of mine, Human Imitation. This artist does some great 3D art, but also makes physical masks which are fucking sick.
Here’s one physical mask and one 3D render, I love both. There’s a clear evolution of their work and it’s amazing to see. Their older work feels more DIY, more vulnerable, while their newer work feels more assured and powerful to me. But I don’t know what the fuck I’m talking about, go have a browse for yourself? And tell em Rat Depot sent ya xoxo
You may have heard of this one - Alexandria Masse is a Canadian artist who makes knitted bangers such as balaclavas, hats, and occasionally giant tarantulas. Her work is amazing and rightly in demand. Check them out if you haven’t already!
You can also check out Alexandria’s website here.
Chilean jeweller and artist Maria Ignacia Walker has produced stunning masks in a range of unique materials, from human hair to fishing lines. The two masks below are from 2020 and 2017 respectively.
For this mask, Ignacia Walker accepted donations of hair from people, forming an organic - albeit itchy-looking - tapestry. Ignacia Walker has stated that they find comfort in this closeness to organic material and that there is a safety in having a close relationship with our environment. You can check out their website, here.
Charlie Goodall is a London based artist who makes masks! In 2020, Goodall made a mask every single day for a year, which explains why there’s so many bangers on his Instagram page…
This sunflower mask was part of a performance Goodall did with Voodoo 4 U in Shoreditch, London. I like how set back your face is in the mask, giving a shadowy depth that’s quite scary if I’m being honest.
This little fucker is “a fool mask influenced by medieval depictions of the fool character from British and European folklore”. He looks like a right little menace.
This gem is made from a smashed up Heineken beer bottle and pulp. I’m not exaggerating when I tell you that there is minimum 365 classics on Goodall’s profile so, go browse. Picking only a few was very hard. You can also check out his website here.
Uno mas! Sarah Lew, by her own description is a “puppetmistress & ringmaster at the shit show”. She also makes very cool masks.
Woah! How do you make that! This mask is stunning and perfect for popping out to the shops, or robbing a bank.
And finally, this piggy themed, ACAB mask captioned “CUCK THE POLICE”. (B)oink oink indeed. Lew also made masks for a Pussy Riot music video called HATEFUCK ft. Slayyyter. Which, ya know, pop off.
Honourable Mention:
Resident weirdo and suicidal scientologist Tom Cruise dons this baroque little number in Kubrick’s Eyes Wide Shut when he enters the bonking palace for some…bonking. All the attendees of the bonk wear different Venetian style masks, which all bang (pun intended) to varying degrees. There’s also the master of ceremonies who dons a red cloak and looks like a horny Dr Doom. Do you have to put a CV in for the role or is it more like, a nepo baby type vibe?
The masks for Eyes Wide Shut were made by Albanian artist Edmond Angoni, who I believe now runs the Venice Art Mask Factory, which checks out really if you think about it.
I hope you’ve enjoyed this shorter letter exploring some of my favourite mask-makers and their different styles. Please consider giving them a follow and supporting their work! If you’d like to support me, please drop a like or share this letter with friends, it would mean the world. I’ll be back on Wednesday with a podcast ep and a special guest. Until then, stay safe, stay sexy.
Love,
Paulie x