Original Mask Art｜NIGAO-MEN

​

Noh masks have traditionally been inherited as a craft form centered on faithful reproduction of archetypal forms—especially since the Edo period.

​

In contrast, Japanese caricature culture has valued capturing the unique atmosphere or presence of a person, intentionally discarding realism to establish an expressive domain distinct from portraiture.

​

While both are rooted in the act of "depicting the face,"
they have historically been categorized at the margins of the art world:
Noh masks as craft objects, and caricatures as entertainment services—rarely regarded as fine art.

​

In this series, I deliberately combine these two “non-art” domains.

​

NIGAO-MEN presents faces born from a dual marginality—
the absence of originality and the peripheral status of social evaluation.

​

It is a conceptual art series that poses ontological, social, and media-theoretical questions such as:
What is a face?
What does it mean to see?