The Indian Mask

As the darkest among my family, I was taught as a child that my skin color was not favorable. Skin color is an obsession in India, a disease that overtakes. Social status, romantic attraction, and economic opportunities are ravaged by it. The face is the target of skin-lightening products. This piece is a celebration of the great diversity in skin tones of the Indian diaspora, and highlights its beautiful plethora. HEX codes were derived from facial images that people sent to me, and used to color match the acrylic paint placed on laser-cut felt circles. Bindis worn in Hindu culture represent the third eye, a portal to higher consciousness. Their use transports the viewer to a higher consciousness, where skin color is respected in its divergence from Eurocentric ideals. The spread of the bindis across the face, covering even the eyes, represent the lack of insight on this concept.