Sergio Teran – Artist Echo Park Los Angeles Masks in Paintings & Drawings
August 16, 2012 Leave a comment
Sergio Teran Artist Echo Park Los Angeles
My Interest in Masks
I am a big fan of cultures which have traditions with masks. Since my childhood I’ve admired people who perform with and make masks. I am fascinated by their historical uses/connection across cultures, i.e., ceremonial, ritual (as in death), theatrical, decadent celebration, etc. Even utilitarian masks become a symbol for what they are used for. I understand masks to posses great spiritual strength. The right mask has the ability to ward off evil, heal the sick, or protect and transcend human reality. They are otherworldly. To some, masks strike fear because they can obscure an identity. In my work the mask is the identity and the players in my stories are never hiding, but encompass the spirit of the mask.
My paintings and drawings are deeply personal and represent streams of thought based on personal experiences and the individuals who have influenced my life. I paint realistically, but not necessarily academically. My flaws represent the idiosyncrasies of my personal vision. I characterize my approach as magical surreal. Symbolic tableaus weave into non-linear narratives. They are backdrops of colliding realities: my past, present, and imagined experiences. I was raised in a working-class household of immigrant parents. My mother was a seamstress and my father, a welder/ ironworker. They both relied on the mastery of their skills to put food on the table. The exposure to their labor carried over into my psyche. Consequently, I favor a physicality to art-making, and I try to imbue the art object with that quality.
written by Artist Sergio Teran
