Steven Vasquez Lopez is a resourceful artist, constructing face mask-inspired self-portraits from unconventional materials like perishable food, yarn, twine, and craft paper. Ideated inside tiny apartments, these visual artists have spun face masks into objects of art that exist beyond their military use; these face coverings, too, help the personality behind them embrace new personas. “It can be faggy, sexy, colorful, pompous, shy in a blend of genders.”
“There’s a duality in wearing a mask that allows me to be ambiguous and specific, hiding my own identity and creating a persona,” says Steven Vasquez Lopez, who gathers everyday craft materials (like “yarn, tissue paper, and costume jewelry”) Bay Area studio apartment to adorn and embellish a cast of characters. With vibrant colors and solid backgrounds, his work dives deep into the subcultures of queer identity, dandies, and blended “it’s not about me, but rather who or whatever I feel like at that moment,” he adds. “It can be faggy, sexy, colorful, pompous, shy in a blend of genders.” And a quick scroll through Lopez’s Instagram, which features his jaw-dropping works, proves he’s perfectly spun that wheel of meanings with immaculate precession. // Photography courtesy of Steven Vasquez Lopez. Have a tip for us? Want to pitch a story? Connect with us here.
