Fire spirit mask (2023) Sculpture par Dmitrii Kastalskii

This mask is part of the project "Five Elements. Masks of Power."
It is planned to create five masks, the shape of which echoes Mayan stone bas-reliefs depicting faces and ancient Mayan frescoes.
Strictly speaking, they are not masks, but rather bas-reliefs too, as they are not hollow inside and are not supposed to be put on the face. But since they depict faces, I call them masks.

First, I model the shape of the future mask from beeswax.
Then I create a mold according to it, in which I cast the mask from alabaster at the next stage. Then the mask is covered with a thin layer of wax. After that, I apply a bead pattern directly on the wax.

The four masks are of the same shape and differ in pattern. Each of them embodies an element: Fire, Earth, Water and Air.
At the moment, one mask has been created - the Spirit of Fire.

This technique, where beaded patterns are applied in beeswax to a mold of intricate relief, is known as the Huichol Tribe technique. It creates a special visual and tactile effect.

The beads hold securely on the wax for many years. It does not fall off or fade, keeping the work looking the same as the day it was created.
In the Fire Spirit Mask, I kept references to the geometric patterns classic to Huichol while using this technique to freely "paint" with beads like paint on canvas.

It is a very painstaking and meditative endeavor.
It is necessary not only to follow the tight fit of beads to each other and the selection of the necessary color transitions, but also for a long time to keep in memory the general plan of the arrangement of elements on the "canvas", connecting them into a single picture.

The fifth mask in the project will differ in shape and size from the first four.
This is the mask of Quetzalcoatl, the Feathered Serpent, a deity of the ancient Aztecs and later the ancient Maya, where he is known as Kukulcan.
Quetzalcoatl/Kukulcan symbolizes light, knowledge, power, perfect harmony of the spiritual and material and thus becomes the fifth, final and unifying element in the series.

Thèmes connexes

Bas ReliefMaskFireBeadsEsoteric