The power of masks

To this very day masks capture the imagination: where does one's identity stop and a transformation start to take place when someone puts on a mask, how do we deal with old symbolic and mythical meanings, when do we create new ways of defining ourselves, what is accepted and where does controversy start? Again and again, POWERMASK calls into question the border between tradition and renewal, between uncovering and covering up, thereby connecting past and present across different cultures. Ever since his first collections from the 1980s, Belgian fashion designer Walter Van Beirendonck has been intrigued by masks. In this exhibition and its accompanying catalogue POWERMASK, his personal fascination for masks and their impact on a person's identify translates into a particular and varied view of the phenomenon of masks. He also examines the role of the mask in the work of visual artists, photographers, and fashion designers.