top of page
Painter
EMMA FAULKNER
Works
Works
The Mask
These works explore the different forms that the mask takes within our daily lives, be it a physical form or a psychological one. In a range of mediums from graphite, to acrylic and oil paint, to ceramics. these versatile mediums show how the gaze of the subject affects how the portrait is viewed and the resulting effect that the mask has on the viewer.
 Oil on wooden board 30 cm x 42 cm 2022 'In Control' is a self portrait, which follows the narrative of asking if we are ever fully in control of the mask, which is given by society and worn by us, either as protection from the world, or as a hindrance that we are told to accept. The gaze of the subject is a main element of this piece, seemingly being in control of the mask and situation they are painted in, but when inspected closer, they are a cry for help. |  Oil on wooden board 30 cm x 42 cm 2022 'Losing Control' is a self portrait, in which the subject embraces the abstract nature of the psychological mask, looking out towards the viewer with teary eyes. |  Oil on wooden board 30 cm x 42 cm 2022 'Lost' is a self-portrait depicting how the subject has lost the battle to the mask. Open to interpretation as to what they are lost to, the facial expression shows that maybe they haven't lost the spirit of the fight, but that the fight is over. |  Oil on wooden board 15 cm x 20 cm 2022 'Untitled' questions the materiality of the physical and psychological mask. Drawing on the concepts of the mask as a social construct. Untitled evaluates if a person is ever truly in control of the mask they wear. As elements of the painting exhibit, the reality of the traditional half-covered portrait is a masked cry for help, begging the viewer to understand the box that they are in, to become aware of the ‘mask’ within their own lives. |
|---|---|---|---|
 |  Graphite on paper (size) 2021 |  Acrylic on board (size) 2021 |  Oil on canvas 121 cm x 182 cm 2022 'Psychological thoughts' is one part of a self portrait diptych, detailing the impact of the physical and psychological mask, through the eyes of the subject embedded in the painting. The narrative of this piece dictates the physical mask being presented once again, only that the subject is now aware of the psychological elements creeping up and engulfing them. |
 Oil on canvas 121 cm x 182 cm 2022 'The physical mask' is one part of a self portrait diptych, detailing the impact of the physical and psychological mask, through the eyes of the subject embedded in the painting. The narrative of this piece dictates the physical mask being presented towards the subject, (represented as the COVID mask) with the psychological element ie. the unspoken social cues that are written into the code of society. |  Oil on paper 29.7 cm x 42 cm 2022 'Untitled 2' is a self portrait, which initiates the conversation between the presentation of an object and how it is perceived. Here, the hand is gloved, which can have connotations of being sterile and clean, further backed with the background, a clean, calm and controlled atmosphere. But when looking at the way the object is presented, the gesture suggests that the mask is dirty, therefore giving the viewer the sense that the object is abject. |
bottom of page