Maskmaker, Maskmaker, Make Me A Mask
Concealment is sexy. There’s nothing more tantalizing than that which is hidden. (Perhaps that’s why talking to headless torsos on Grindr is so very addictive.) And there’s no time of year more mysterious, more obsessed with concealment, than Halloween —a day which rivals the Tony Awards in being dubbed “gay Christmas.” If you’re looking to make this October 31st particularly scintillating, the artistry of New York mask maker Stephan Keating is an ace in the hole.
Equal parts Venetian Carnival, S&M Dungeon, and club-kid nightclubbing accoutrement, the masks of Stephan Keating are delicate, libidinous and terrifying works. As if from the fever dream of the Marquis de Sade—had he attended a New Orleans Mardi Gras—Keating transforms traditional European mask forms into hyper-modern artworks utilizing a wide panoply of repurposed materials, from snakeskin to retired disco balls. Beautiful, ornate and emotionally complex, Leigh Bowery would have gobbled them up. Offering both ready-made and custom creations, Stephan Keating can be the trick (or treat) up your sleeve for any discerning New Yorker this Halloween.
And you won’t even have to stand in line at Ricky’s…
By Matt Sigl
Categories:
Vogue
