These works with fair masks are part of a series of works that I have continued to produce over the years. Each mask is a mixture of the internal and external images of several acquaintances, and the name of each title is also a combination of the names of several acquaintances once dismembered. Not only the person wearing the mask, but also the design of the mask itself is slightly rearranged from the ready-made masks to match the image of the acquaintances. I thought that if I could reproduce the position of the school caste in which these mixed acquaintances stand with their new personalities, I would be able to confirm once again the difference between the school caste that I have actually recognized and lived in and the one that the viewers have experienced. I continue to create masks in order to correct the distortion of perception of school caste that I have had a complex about since I was a schoolchild. The composition and background are inspired by graduation photos and certificate photos in student handbooks. The background is a refreshing light blue, partly because that is the color of the background of such photographs, but also because I wanted to express the difference between the clear, light blue sky and the mental images of the people who are not all cheerful. I also feel very comfortable with the motif of masks covering faces. I feel very comfortable with the masks because I can observe the people around me through the transparent plastic covers and small holes, while hiding my own gaze from the people around me. The masks are like a translucent shelter that never completely shuts me off from the world around me, but rather shelters me with just the right amount of thinness, softness, and transparency.
