Francesca Magnani's 'La città in maschera' Explores NYC's Pandemic Mask Culture

Italian photographer Francesca Magnani presents 'La città in maschera', a series of 25 photographs documenting New York City's pandemic and rebirth through the motif of masks, linking to Venetian carnival traditions. The exhibition runs until December 10 at the Italian Consulate General in the Henry P. Davison House on Park Avenue and 69th Street, a neo-Georgian mansion built in 1917. The show juxtaposes iconic NYC locations like Domino Park, Williamsburg Bridge, protest marches in Downtown Brooklyn, and the Coney Island boardwalk with the uptown setting. Magnani's project includes over 600 masks; about 80 images have been acquired by the Smithsonian Institution for its permanent historical archive as part of the first digital pandemic documents. Two Covid-themed photos are included in 'New York Responds: The First Six Months' at the Museum of the City of New York, and one mask featured in the group show '#ICPconcerned'. A concurrent exhibition runs from November 15 to December 10 at Oslo Coffee Roasters in Williamsburg. The masks, used by New Yorkers since early pandemic days, evolved into expressive tools conveying personality, mood, community, or political views.