Melissa Meier

Brazilian artist Melissa Meier is internationally recognized for her work which explores the power and effect of handmade, static masks in both abstract and commonplace settings.

“Masks are a form of disguise, ritual, entertainment, and even protection, and I wanted to expand my exploration by sculpting oversized masks out of clay and bringing them to life using glass eyes, paint, and human hands, all in a variety of settings,” says Meier. Ironically, in Meier’s staged scenes, her masks are used as a form of expressed emotion rather than concealed disguise. Further, depending on how the variables work together, she is often surprised by how each mask takes on its own personality and story. Although the masks are not sculpted realistically, they appear to breathe and live, whether a person is posing behind them or not.

In the Glass-Eyed series, Melissa Meier explores the power and effect of handmade, static masks in both abstract and commonplace settings. This new work deviates from the earlier mask pieces she created in 1991 during her six-month stay in Japan, where she became inspired by Japanese Noh masks. Meier found it refreshing to come back to masks as a subject after almost a 20-year hiatus. “Sometimes themes require significant time to gestate, and that is what I find so intriguing about creation – just when you think you’ve explored all sides, a new personal discovery is made.”

Please find more of Meier’s work at: https://www.instagram.com/melissameierart/?hl=en

Also: https://vimeo.com/499887996/5f80b1fa7b and https://vimeo.com/660287125/e5264822b0