The Inner Mask - from concept to exhibition

Since publishing Unmasking the Mask, I’ve found myself returning to the question: what happens when the mask isn’t something we wear, but something we become? That question has quietly shaped my studio practice this year, pushing me toward a new series of mini‑portraits that began as simple artistic studies and have since grown into something far more ambitious – and far more human.

Portrait of Aaron C.

Last week, that evolution took a decisive turn.

I’m thrilled to share that I’ve begun collaborating with JC, co‑founder of Movember – someone who has spent years championing conversations around mental health, identity and the quiet, complicated realities of being a person in the world. Our discussions have been electric. We’ve talked about how the masked figures in my work aren’t just aesthetic devices; they’re reflections of the stories we hide, the personas we perform, and the emotional architecture we build to survive. They’re about the tension between who we show and who we are.

This new project – a collection of 100 A6 portraits – is my attempt to capture that tension in a way that feels intimate, tactile and unavoidably present. Each portrait is painted on double‑sided plywood: one side a figure with an “inner mask” obscuring the face, the other a stripped‑back, binary expression of personal narrative. These aren’t works designed to hang quietly on a wall. They stand upright on custom plinths, inviting viewers to circle them, confront them, and consider what it means to see only half a story at a time.

Portrait of Paige C.

Portrait of Nick M.

Together, the 100 subjects form a conceptual snapshot of identity in the digital age – a mix of everyday individuals and selected cultural figures from film, music, art and beyond. In a world where we curate ourselves constantly, these portraits ask what remains uncurated. What slips through. What we protect. What we reveal only when someone walks around to the other side.

The most exciting part? I’m opening the door for more people to take part.

If you’d like to be included, email me and I’ll send you the brief. It’s early days, but the momentum feels right. The conversations feel necessary. And the work feels like it’s finally stepping into the world it was always meant to inhabit.

This is a continuation of Unmasking the Mask, but it’s also a departure — a move from metaphor to material, from concept to community. I’m excited to see where it leads, and even more excited to bring others along for the journey. 

Portrait of Helen B.