Behind the Mask Sign (from 3-D Cover of Not-a-Superhero No. 10)

Behind the Mask Sign (from 3-D Cover of Not-a-Superhero No. 10)

Luca Buvoli
Italian, born 1963
1996
An airy installation in which Luca Buvoli assembles wire, plexiglass, cloth, candy wrappers and other found plastics into a precarious, language-like construction that both names and obscures meaning.
You first notice fragile, cartoonish letters and a red curving stroke balanced on a skeletal stand, whose translucent materials throw wavering, layered shadows that seem to float and refract across the cornered walls.
The work turns disposable detritus into ephemeral typography, continuing a modern sculptural interest in readymades, shadow play, and the ways three-dimensional objects can produce text and narrative in space.
Medium
Wire, plexiglass, cloth, plastic, tinfoil, monofilament, candy wrappers, plastic tubing, plastic straws, plastic netting, and a scrubbie
Dimensions
Dimensions variable, approximately 11' x 9' x 48" (335.2 x 274.3 x 121.9 cm)
Classification
Credit
Andreas C. Dracopoulos Fund
Accession
743.1998.a-b
Palette
Art Terms
Exhibitions
View on moma.org

Semantic Neighborhood

Wide angle – 16 works across semantic space

press T

Keyboard Shortcuts

S Cycle source (semantic/color/artist/...)
P Toggle Sources column
V Cycle center mode (viewer/browser/split)
I Toggle Inspector column
\ Swap split direction
T Toggle toolbar
C Toggle palette strips
Shift+C Sort by color similarity
Shift+H Immersive mode (viewer only)
1-5 Set thumbnail size
? Toggle this help

Column shortcuts require ultrawide (2xl+) viewport

Related

45 – 65%
Masks and props 59%

Masks and props

Joan Jonas

1970s–2010s

Masks and props 59% Joan Jonas 1970s–2010s Rubber, papier-mache, metal mesh, fab... Sculpture Media and Performance Dimensions variable American 433.2024
Face Mask 58%

Face Mask

Bruce Nauman

1981

Face Mask 58% Bruce Nauman 1981 Pastel, charcoal, and pencil on paper Drawing Drawings & Prints 52 1/4 x 70 7/8" (132.8 x 1... American 190.1982
Mask in Reverse 58%

Mask in Reverse

Matthew Connors

2016

Mask in Reverse 58% Matthew Connors 2016 Inkjet print Photograph Photography 44 × 33" (111.8 × 83.8 cm) American 240.2018
Collection of Various Flexible Materials Separated by Layers of Grease with Holes the Size of My Waist and Wrists 57%

Collection of Various Flexible Materials Separated by Lay...

Bruce Nauman

1966

Collection of Various Flexible Materials Separated by Lay... 57% Bruce Nauman 1966 Aluminum foil, plastic sheet, foam ru... Sculpture Painting & Sculpture 3" x 7' 6 1/4" x 19 1/8" (7... American 301.1997
Places with No Street 57%

Places with No Street

Mario Merz

1987

Places with No Street 57% Mario Merz 1987 Aluminum, wire mesh, stones, twigs, n... Installation Painting & Sculpture Overall dimensions variable... Italian 41.1993
Paper Work 55%

Paper Work

Ed Rossbach

1968

Paper Work 55% Ed Rossbach 1968 Newspaper, plastic, and plastic twine Design Architecture & Design 13 1/2 x 6 1/2 x 1 1/2" (34... American 109.1989
Untitled from Found Masks 1975–1978 54%

Untitled from Found Masks 1975–1978

Kirsten Hawthorne

1975–78, published 1978

Untitled from Found Masks 1975–1978 54% Kirsten Hawthorne 1975–78, published 1978 One from a portfolio of 29 photocopies Print Drawings & Prints irreg composition 10 15/16... American 20.1979.18
Untitled 54%

Untitled

Robert Gober

2003-2005

Untitled 54% Robert Gober 2003-2005 Plaster, fir, wool, linen, photolitho... Installation Painting & Sculpture Dimensions variable American 238.2005.1-16
Untitled from Found Masks 1975–1978 53%

Untitled from Found Masks 1975–1978

Kirsten Hawthorne

1975–78, published 1978

Untitled from Found Masks 1975–1978 53% Kirsten Hawthorne 1975–78, published 1978 One from a portfolio of 29 photocopies Print Drawings & Prints irreg composition 10 15/16... American 20.1979.27
Untitled (Invitation) 53%

Untitled (Invitation)

Alighiero Boetti

1966–67

Untitled (Invitation) 53% Alighiero Boetti 1966–67 Fabric, plexiglass, cork, synthetic p... Drawing Drawings & Prints 9 3/4 x 8 1/4" (24.8 x 21 cm) Italian 1330.2005
Event Horizon 53%

Event Horizon

Tomás Saraceno

2007

Event Horizon 53% Tomás Saraceno 2007 Carbon fiber tubing, Dawn® dishwashin... Installation Media and Performance Approximately 9' (299.7 cm) Argentine 68.2009
Untitled from Found Masks 1975–1978 53%

Untitled from Found Masks 1975–1978

Kirsten Hawthorne

1975–78, published 1978

Untitled from Found Masks 1975–1978 53% Kirsten Hawthorne 1975–78, published 1978 One from a portfolio of 29 photocopies Print Drawings & Prints irreg composition 10 15/16... American 20.1979.21
Mask (Le Masque) from the portfolio Scrap Plates II (Planches de rebut II) from Phenomena (Les Phénomènes) 53%

Mask (Le Masque) from the portfolio Scrap Plates II (Plan...

Jean Dubuffet

1961

Mask (Le Masque) from the portfolio Scrap Plates II (Plan... 53% Jean Dubuffet 1961 One from a portfolio of twenty lithog... Print Drawings & Prints composition: 20 5/8 x 15 1/... French 744.1965.11
Lung 53%

Lung

Jac Leirner

1987

Lung 53% Jac Leirner 1987 Ten plastic cigarette pack wrappers i... Sculpture Painting & Sculpture 3 1/2 x 8 1/2 x 2 3/8" (8.9... Brazilian 369.1991
Untitled (your mouth looks...) 53%

Untitled (your mouth looks...)

Jon Pylypchuk

2003

Untitled (your mouth looks...) 53% Jon Pylypchuk 2003 Ink, watercolor, cut-and-pasted paper... Drawing Drawings & Prints 9 3/8 x 7 7/8" (23.8 x 20 cm) Canadian 2848.2005
Twilight of the Idiots 52%

Twilight of the Idiots

Matthew Monahan

1994/2005

Twilight of the Idiots 52% Matthew Monahan 1994/2005 Floral foam, bees' wax, encaustic, pi... Sculpture Painting & Sculpture 6' x 34" x 8' 1" (182.8 x 8... American 856.2011