DEATH MASK 2022: Group gallery exhibition

Underland Gallery is thrilled to present DEATH MASK 2022, a group show featuring twelve artists and their interpretations of the death mask.

The concept of the death mask is most commonly associated with the practice of creating a plaster cast of a person’s face. Usually, this mould was taken to serve as a reference for portraiture upon the death of the individual. Famous faces such as Napoleon, Stalin, and Lincoln were preserved forever in morbid repose. However, if we look beyond this narrow definition, we can see countless examples of death portrayed in mask form across a myriad of cultures and belief systems. From the skull masks dancing down the street on the Dia de los Muertos to the fearsome Oni demon masks of Japan, death masks vary wildly in their shapes and flavors. In such instances, Death is given its own visage. Through the mask a portal is formed from the noumena to our living realm. Considering the breadth of the concept of death mask, Underland has given twelve artists free reign to interpret the concept in whatever way they see fit.

At the footsteps of Hallows Eve, Underland Gallery invites you to immerse yourself in an experience thick with mythos, imagination, and darkness; to celebrate the shadows, to celebrate what lies in the Underland.

Melika Abikenari
John Avelluto
Day Brièrre
Clare Burson
Katrina Demarcus Santiago
Sabina Hahn
Ellen Coleman Izzo
Ji Yong Kim
Megan Mehta
Isolina Minjeong
Sophie Page
Paul Wirhun/EGGMAN