Mask 1976

Curator: Here we have Gary Wragg’s "Mask," a mixed-media piece dating to 1976. It's a striking example of his abstract expressionist approach. Editor: Whew, it's wild! It feels like an explosion in a paint factory. Kind of chaotic, but there's this underlying energy I'm drawn to. I can definitely see that name—'Mask'—lurking somewhere within all of the gestural brushstrokes. Curator: The title "Mask" encourages us to consider the representation of identity and the self. In 1976, Wragg was engaging with debates around representation in art, specifically in relation to broader social and political dialogues concerning identity and the construction of the self through performativity. How does this mask function in this sense? Is it protection or concealment? Editor: Maybe both? Like, we all wear masks, right? This one just feels…raw. The textures—the scribbles, the thick paint, the thin washes—they speak to this messy human experience of hiding and revealing ourselves simultaneously. Reminds me of when I first tried painting; total abandon, straight from the gut. I reckon a bit of myself is revealed if you look close enough! Curator: I agree, the layering and the mixed media add to the sense of complex personae. What is particularly striking to me is that, rather than working from a canonized image, the piece comes directly from a period of abstract mark-making as the end product of the painting, the art of a performative, individual freedom of the 1970's counterculture. Editor: And yet, doesn't it feel current? It almost reminds me of street art, all these overlapping layers like graffiti over time. It's funny how art from the past keeps talking to us in new ways, across these divides, right? It's just like history painting itself. Curator: Precisely. Wragg's "Mask" compels us to consider how societal norms and our internal lives impact and challenge how we perceive our realities, whether historically or today. It reveals much about our existence by showing and allowing space for our perception of seeing beyond the painting. Editor: Absolutely, "Mask" demands that you feel something. Art is best like that. Thanks, Gary!