2nd place
silver star award
Emmanuelle Becker
france
title
Unmasked
The actual mask-making is the first step in my work. I use natural and recycled materials to create them. This process is one of discovery. I work on each one until a character is born, often mixing animal and human forms. I then breathe life into them through photography, sometimes with suggested narratives. The body of work constitutes a portrait gallery of characters and creatures from my imagination, through which I seek to reveal the deeper reality of human existence.
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entry description
Masks are mysterious, disturbingly inexpressive, yet powerfully evocative. They are worn in fashion, performing arts, and ceremonies in cultures worldwide and are often enigmatic and spellbinding. The tradition of mask-wearing reflects a desire for metamorphosis and differentiation, raising thought-provoking questions about the very notion of identity. Though masks conceal a person's identity, when worn, they appear animated from within, revealing a deeper identity, making that which is invisible ever more visible. Their faculty to reveal human interiority is at the center of my photographic series, titled Unmasked.The actual mask-making is the first step in my work. I use natural and recycled materials to create them. This process is one of discovery. I work on each one until a character is born, often mixing animal and human forms. I then breathe life into them through photography, sometimes with suggested narratives. The body of work constitutes a portrait gallery of characters and creatures from my imagination, through which I seek to reveal the deeper reality of human existence.
about the photographer
Emmanuelle Becker is an artist-photographer living in Paris. She studied photography and printmaking at the George Washington University in Washington, DC. and pursued her Masters degree in painting at Pratt Institute in NYC. Her interests lie in both fine art and street photography. She has exhibited her work in Europe, Western Asia and the United States and is the recipient of multiple awards and distinctions. Her work has appeared in several international photography publications, including L'ŒIL DE LA PHOTOGRAPHIE and ALL ABOUT PHOTO Magazine.back to gallery