Mehryl Levisse's masks explore BDSM theatricality at Catinca Tabacaru Gallery

Mehryl Levisse presented an immersive exhibition titled 'Birds of a feather fly together' at Catinca Tabacaru Gallery in New York from June 7 to July 9, 2017. The show featured two interconnected bodies of work exploring masks, theatricality, and BDSM dynamics through photography and sculptural installations. A central stage with six metal poles displayed ornate masks constructed from costume materials like embroidered fabric, feathers, fur, and beads, referencing fetish gear but rendered nonfunctional through baroque ornamentation. During the opening, performers wore additional masks and peach-colored bodysuits, inhabiting both dominant and submissive roles simultaneously. Levisse's photographs recontextualized art historical references with contemporary BDSM aesthetics, including a 2013 work that reimagined Manet's 'Le Déjeuner sur l'herbe' with a male figure wearing an animal skull mask. Another 2015 photograph showed a model lounging on mussel shells while wearing a shell mask, recalling Marcel Broodthaers' surrealist approach. The exhibition examined the negotiated power dynamics between artist, performer, and viewer, drawing parallels between BDSM's consensual role-playing and theater's fourth wall. All elements emphasized the agreed-upon artifice of both artistic and BDSM practices while acknowledging the real physical and emotional experiences they generate.