
Nigel Sense, Russell Brand is My Guru (Diptych), 2019. Acrylic on clear primed Russian linen, 240 x 160cm. Courtesy: the artist and Fox Galleries, Melbourne.
Wearing a mask is the new past time, whether it be the one we put on to wear to work or the one we wear to argue on Facebook. What if we were to strip away these masks and be ourselves? This body of work is an exploration to try and find out.
When we wear a mask, we are restricted to behave in a way that fits that character. It holds us back by limiting everything from how we act to what we say and wear. If we take off the mask, we’re free of this restriction and can be whatever we want. As Ram Dass says: “The caterpillar isn’t walking around saying: Man I’ll soon be a butterfly, because as long as he’s busy being a caterpillar he can’t be a butterfly. It’s only when caterpillarness is done that one starts to be a butterfly.”
Exhibition opens: 5–7pm Thursday 14 November 2019