Concept
The mask was inspired by Faceshopping by the artist SOPHIE, where she wrote the lyric "my face is the front of shop." Our appearance, especially our faces, is highly intertwined with consumerism. We wear cosmetics, and the development of cosmetic techniques is closing the gap between our real selves and our disguised selves. Wearing make-up makes us blend in with the world. The beauty or satisfaction brought by make-up is artificial. Instead of making ourselves beautiful, we are buying our faces, fitting ourselves into the category of so-called "beauty."
Therefore, by making this mask, I want to reclaim our feeling of having a face and our subjectivity of owning the term "beauty." We are unconsciously occupied by those cosmetic products, and I want to emphasize the existence of those products—eyebrow trimmers, eyeshadow brushes, lipsticks, and hair clips—to reorient beauty, instead of commercializing it.
The mask was designed with the shape of a facial mask, and the five sense organs are replaced by cosmetic tools, which are frequently used to cover and modify our natural organs. My mask serves as a commentary on the pressure to conform to societal beauty standards and the commodification of beauty. It challenges the idea that our worth is determined by our appearance and encourages us to embrace our natural selves.