Consumerism is a culture where one’s looks are something to be gazed upon, thought about, and transformed. Such mentality has been the focus of Artist Hsu Wei-Hui’s creative works for years.
Two series of work are displayed inside the latrine, where people often come to freshen up, remove, or put on their makeup. Smiling Face as A Flower is composed of pieces of facial masks to symbolize aging skin. The colorful masks represent youthful blossoms, expressing the inconcealable exuberance inside.
In the series You Are My Tender Weapon, the wrinkled feministic masks appear as guns of different shapes and sizes, the symbol of masculine weapons. The soft pinkish masks that resemble lace in the form of guns convey a sense of conflict and contradiction. After all, behind each girly façade is a tough tenacity. Pieces of pink masks resembling smiling, makeup-covered faces may just turn out to be more effective weapons than firearms in a war of trust and deception.
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