BETWEEN THE VISIBLE AND THE INVISIBLE
Let me remind you of the etymological origin of the word ‘person’, which has been adopted almost unchanged from the Latin ‘persona’ by the European languages. ‘Persona’ originally referred to the actor’s mask that covered his individual ‘personal’ face and indicated to the spectator the role and the part of the actor in the play”. Hanna Arendt reminds us that we are persons when we choose the mask through which we appear on the world’s stage. We define our subjectivity and our ethical and political placement through this shared appearance scene. When we show ourselves on the public scene we reveal ourselves to each other in our plural identities. The visibility space therefore represents the condition of possibility of being together and, at the same time, different.
A certain metaphysical prejudice has always seen the mask as a concealment tool, something used to fake reality. Something that would make us irremediably inauthentic. But if by authenticity we mean the possibility to stick to the idea we have of ourselves, the mask becomes the means through which we can become what we feel we are. The mask, in fact, lets us show ourselves as we please and play our acting role as we think is best. It’s the possibility to choose how to exercise our freedom to show ourselves through a powerful filter that constantly selects what we want to share about us and what we want to conceal instead.
Were the faces masked to make us forget the sex of the models and give way to clothes, a concentration of retro tailoring, Hawaiian shirts, gothic-romantic details and naive figurative motifs faithful to the designer's distinctive style? Were they used to create this threatening atmosphere of secret brotherhood, like "Eyes Wide Shut", or dangerous fraternity, like in Donna Tartt's best-seller, The Master of Illusions, where a group of students in ancient Greek engage in fatal bacchanals? Were they a reference to the Commedia dell'arte, as suggested by this silhouette in a Harlequin dress? According to Hannah Arendt, we are defined by the mask we choose to wear in the public space. And if this mask is signed by Gucci, we sign for next winter.
The characters are dressed in dresses adorned with Gucci, oversized diamond necklaces, as well as classic cutters, hats and silhouettes. They tap dance, sing and perform synchronized dance routines that recall the work of the exuberant musical choreography of that time.
