Javier Perez

I saw this artist's work some time ago and was intrigued because of this particular piece.

Humano, 1998

It reminded me of the headless guy I created in my collages, especially the one with snow and a blueish tone. I guess I'm not original after all. Still I look at this piece and feel like this artist and I might be addressing a similar human internal struggle. What I get from looking at more of his work is that he indeed likes to explore human experiences. His art depicts a very introspective reflection on personal yet universal suffering. It's rather painful to look at, actually, and even when a piece doesn't have recognizable body parts, they're still so, so human.

La torre de sonido, 1999

Mascara ceremonial, 1998

Máscara de seducción II, 2008

A lot of his artwork combines different forms of presentation. For this sculpture it can be viewed on its own, but apparently it can also be worn and performed in.

Híbrido III, 2007

El baile del infinito, 2003

His installations continue using different appeals to the senses. The one above incorporate motion; others contain motion, sound, and shadow play.
Here is a video.

Virgo Matter, 2012

Corona, 2011

I noticed his more recent works have adopted some religious references.

Perez also did some drawings and photography, but his 3D work prevailed and impressed me the most. You can find more on his website.

Masks

I think masks can represent a culture pretty well. They embody the artistic and religious traditions of that culture, and whether their purpose was to celebrate, entertain, or fight off evil spirits they show us a glimpse into the minds of the ancient peoples.
Let's start off with some traditional masks. I really need some inspiration for my mask project.

African:

This one above is from an amazing photoset by National Geographic, depicting modern mask-wearers in Africa.

Oceania:
Oceanic art gives me the creeps, but it also has some of the most diverse and creative style. Perfect for Halloween, I guess.

Bali:

Native American:

I'm actually spending way too much time on researching this. Time to start on other homework.
For my own mask, I'm hoping to make it less humanoid and more abstract. Like what many traditional masks aim to do, transforming the wearer into something more than human and even spiritual. I'm also planning on using recycled materials. If I have the time, I might even be able to put together a whole outfit to go with the mask. Right now, I'm struggling on possibly choosing a theme for my mask so the designs can be based on an idea.