Ana Prvačk's Multimask: A Surreal Protective Design for the Biennale
Serbian artist Ana Prvačk (b. 1976, based in Berlin) has created the Multimask, a prototype protective face covering commissioned by the 13th Gwangju Biennale. The design blends functionality with absurdity, covering the entire face with an air-filtering valve. Its fixed yellow smiley-face expression is intentionally inhuman but friendly, while the forced eye position is said to alter vision and facilitate psycho-spiritual expansion. Inside, creams and gels can be inserted to tone and rejuvenate the skin, linking the effort to appear beautiful with the will to stay alive. The work addresses serious contemporary issues such as social distancing, safety, personal growth, health, self-perception, identity, and anxiety, all through an ironic video.
Key facts
- Ana Prvačk is a Serbian artist born in 1976 and living in Berlin.
- The Multimask was commissioned by the 13th Gwangju Biennale.
- The mask covers the entire face and has an air-filtering valve.
- Its expression is a fixed yellow smiley-face, described as friendly but not human.
- The eye position is designed to alter vision and facilitate psycho-spiritual expansion.
- Creams and gels can be inserted inside the mask for skin toning and rejuvenation.
- The work is presented as a video prototype.
- It addresses themes of social distancing, safety, identity, and anxiety.
Entities
Artists
- Ana Prvačk
Institutions
- Gwangju Biennale
- Artribune
Locations
- Berlin
- Germany
- Gwangju
- South Korea