Mask of a 'Covid Skull'

Here we have a striking mask, made out of wood and acrylic paint by Mexican artist Melky Argüelles. We can see a circular shape surrounding the skull with colourful nodules poking out in all directions, resembling the COVID-19 virus.

Masks are used in so many different ways around the world, like in ritual, performative, and cultural practices. They are so fascinating because of their paradoxical nature; they both conceal and reveal, and often appear in conjunction with change. Now this change could be an actor becoming a different character in a play, a young person becoming an adult in the eyes of their community, or a change in daily life as we have all experienced in the COVID-19 pandemic.  

(Laura Bergin, DPhil student in Anthropology, Oxford)