Masks are more than crafted objects – they are thresholds. The moment someone wears one, a shift takes place: posture changes, gestures transform, and another presence begins to move through the body. A mask does not simply decorate – it inhabits.
During my studies, I once observed a workshop with a renowned commedia dell’arte mask player. Students approached the table of masks almost reverently, each choosing the one that seemed to call them. As soon as they placed it on their face, their entire physicality transformed. It was as if the mask itself took the lead – much like a powerful costume or a puppet on stage can.
This experience left a deep impression on me, shaping the way I create masks today: as vessels that wait to reveal the character already hidden within them. Some are inspired by traditional archetypes, like the horned god Cernunnos. Others arrive unbidden, born from dream or vision – such as the Spring Fox or the Shadow Bird. Each carries its own presence, waiting for the moment when it is given a body to move through.
Cernunos
This wearable mask is designed as part of a full costume, allowing the wearer to fully embody the archetype of Cernunnos, the horned god of Celtic tradition, representing nature, fertility, and the untamed. Made from natural materials and carefully modeled by hand, the mask transforms the body, shifting posture, gesture, and expression in performance. At its first appearance during the Autumn Moon Festival 2014, the costume encountered members of the band Dunkelschön, who later photographed its likeness for their CD Abaraxas.
The Hyena Mask for Anke von Milamar
In 2019, Anke von Milamar reached out to me with a very special request: to create a skeletal mask for her then-unreleased album and music video. As a devoted fan since my teenage years, it was both a joy and an honor to contribute to this project.
The mask was envisioned as an anatomical echo of a hyena’s skull, yet designed to be worn like a human mask.
A selection of masks
