Adam & Eve

Adam & Eve

Identity is a metamorphic construct that finds expression through the different roles we assume. It is through these roles that we recognize one another and ourselves. But what about emotions that are considered socially unacceptable, such as anger, rage, guilt, shame, fear, grief, helplessness, or envy?

Certain emotions are clearly more or less taboo depending on gender. Aggression and anger, for example, are far less tolerated in women than in men. Terms such as “bitch” or “fury,” with their distinctly feminine connotations, reflect a worldview in which women who openly express anger are stigmatized and condemned. For men, it is their “sensitive sides” that are expected to remain hidden. Even today, when one might assume that patriarchal notions of gender have been sufficiently questioned and replaced by a more contemporary understanding of identity, there is still no new definition of “masculinity” that fully allows men to openly express emotions such as grief, vulnerability, or helplessness. “Men don’t cry.”

The work Adam & Eve uses the mask as a means of drawing attention to this discrepancy in the way gender-specific roles and behaviors are perceived. As a medium, the mask is ideal: it conceals while simultaneously making visible. Protected by anonymity, the wearer is given the freedom to express emotions that are often suppressed within a social context. Engaging with a mask can open a gateway to the subconscious. Attributing such power to a mask may seem alien to Western culture. In other cultural contexts, however, where masks form an integral part of rituals, few objects are granted greater power.

The biblical reference in the title may appear paradoxical, given that the work seeks to challenge traditional gender roles. Yet the truth is that none of this is new: Adam has always been vulnerable, just as Eve has always been capable of aggression. It is time to acknowledge and embrace these aspects of both “masculinity” and “femininity” as well.