Space for Community Art: Or Peter: Persona, Between Screen and Mask

Or Peter: Persona, Between Screen and Mask

Khalil Gibran's parable "How I Became a Madman" served as the basis for Or Peter's exhibition, summing up his work with several communities in Haifa as part of the Space for Community Art. Describing the tense relationship between a person and his masks, the story inspired participants to create masks from different materials. While working, Peter asked them questions about the relations between screen (Heb. masakh) and mask (masekha), about the time we dedicate to covering ourselves, and the meaning of the different masks we choose for ourselves in different contexts. Assuming these personas by wearing selected masks, Peter attended additional meetings devoted to drawing. The participants watched him change masks and costumes, assuming different characters, and these encounters gave rise to moments when the curtain was lifted, giving way to a discussion of matter, color, and touch.

Masks manifest themselves in countless ways in everyday life: holidays involving costumes, make-up and camouflage, filters used in photography, etc. In many cultures throughout history, masks have been used for ceremonial or amusement purposes. At first glance, the mask is intended to hide, but on closer look, its true role may be to expose something in us, the courage to be someone else.

The discussion of masks nowadays spills over into screen culture, where the screen is perceived as yet another mask. What does the screen conceal and what does it reveal? Many applications offer filters that beautify us, show us how we will look in the future, and most importantly, turn us into a different persona with a mere click.

The exhibition presents some of the personas assumed by Peter. They are offered for viewers to choose, as masks that will either hide them or set them free. We do not have to choose one mask only. We may change masks and metamorphose whenever we want, whether through a physical or a virtual mask.

Curator: Yifat Ashkenazi