Self Portrait, No more masks [ 18" x 24" ·] Carbon pencil, blackening watercolours, and inks on paper mounted to canvas [ 2020 -2024 ]
The mask of constructed identity — .
The Japanese speak of three faces we wear: the one shown to the world, the one shared with intimates, and the hidden third — the truest self we rarely reveal. For me, that innermost face is the skull: stripped of pretense, embodying unfiltered truth. I even had these masks tattooed on my shoulder as a permanent reminder never to forget where I came from and never to confuse the self I know with the versions others perceive.
The blackening layers trace the accumulation of all those protective selves. I do not pretend to be a good man, nor do I blame anyone but myself. This work is the record of finally standing exposed, vulnerable, and unafraid.
Through paint I reveal and unmask myself. Yet even in this moment of raw honesty, a faint gleam persists — a quiet reminder that beneath every mask, something real and luminous can still endure.
Dark yet hopeful.
Studio view, or related works: blairaiken@raincage.com
Inspiration & Personal Connection
This self-portrait draws inspiration from traditional Japanese Oni masks, which I first encountered as a teenager when I left home alone for Japan. I was immediately struck by their fierce, exaggerated features — horns, bulging eyes, and snarling expressions — used for centuries in festivals, Noh and Kyogen theater, and rituals to ward off evil spirits. The Japanese wore Oni masks both to frighten away demons and, at times, to embody them — a powerful way of confronting and externalizing inner darkness.
For me, those masks became deeply personal. As a young man trying to discover who I was, I began wearing my own versions — protective layers of identity, performance, and survival. Over the decades I painted them on, layer by layer, until they became almost invisible to me.
I don’t pretend to be a good man, nor do I blame anyone but myself. *Self Portrait, No More Masks* marks the moment I started the long, difficult work of removing them. The blackening layers trace the slow accumulation of those constructed selves and the courage required to peel them away. In the end, the painting is not just about revealing the skull beneath, but about finally standing unmasked — honest, vulnerable, and the self my life has made me.
Through paint I reveal and unmask myself. Yet even in this moment of raw honesty, a faint gleam persists — a quiet reminder that beneath every mask, something real and luminous can still endure.
Dark yet hopeful.
Studio view, or related works: blairaiken@raincage.com
Dark yet hopeful,
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Traditional Japanese Oni masks (used in festivals, Noh and Kyogen theater, and rituals)