Gillian Wearing

Gillian Wearing is an artist who has used masks in her projects.

Gillian Wearing, Confess All On Video. Don’t Worry You Will Be In Disguise. Intrigued? Call Gillian…, 1994.

In this project, Wearing advertised in the London magazine, Time Out using the above words from her title as part of her advertisement. She providing masks or disguises to her volunteers; so the could be videoed without recognition. They then provided an unscripted monologue confessing their sins that ranged from an acts of revenge, having sex with prostitutes and stealing. The masks acted as a barrier from identity and their outward face but freed the individual to expose a hidden identity and face.

Signs that Say What You Want To Say and Not Signs that Say What Someone Else Wants You To Say, 1992-3.

In this project Wearing approached people in the street and asked them to pose for a photograph holding up a sign that they had written, saying what they are thinking. Wearing provided paper and a marker pen, the subjects simply wrote down their thought and Wearing took a photo. This idea suggests to me that the subjects are providing both an outwardly visable image of themselves and also something more hidden under the surface.

Gillian Wearing, Trauma, 2001