Name/Title
Cenote Escape (photo of Lee Elman underwater, Mexico)Entry/Object ID
2121.MM12Description
Submerged in a hazardous environment. Exposed to foreign life. Alone. A mask protects the explorer and grants them the opportunity to cast their eyes onto the reality of another life. The mask allows its wearer to breathe in a surrounding in which they would typically drown.
Cenote Escape highlights one of the many functions of a social mask, protection. One becomes an observer of a world to which they typically don’t belong, or due to the harsh realities of the environment, would not typically survive. Social norms and constructs frame human expectations, and if those expectations are not met, harsh realities set in. When a person doesn’t belong, they are labeled unknown, dangerous, invasive. Therefore, putting on a mask of conformity affords protection from the hate otherwise extended.
However, this protection does not insinuate survival. A mask does not help you belong. Masks are temporary. The more immersed you become, pressure builds, masks slip, and water comes crashing in.Artwork Details
Medium
Oil, polymer, digital print collage on canvasAcquisition
Accession
2121Acquisition Method
GiftCredit Line
Gift of the artist, 2012Inscription/Signature/Marks
Type
SignatureLocation
LLType
Signature, Title, DateLocation
Verso