MALE GAZE - BEHIND THE MASK - belonging and disappearance.

In this series I engage with the interplay of identity, ritual and visibility: the mask becomes both shield and mirror. Inspired by the iconography of the traditional Dristibomai masks—which once channelled divine or ancestral energy—I place them over contemporary male figures whose individual identity is obscured yet implied.

By layering hand-painted surfaces atop photographs I explore how tradition and modernity collide in the arena of masculinity and performance. The masked men stand at the threshold of power and vulnerability, belonging and disappearance.

the mask is not merely concealment—it speaks. It invites the viewer to ask: What do we reveal when we hide? What roles do we perform because we must? And what gaze returns us to our own reflection in society’s mirror?

#meninmasks #silentstoryteller_art #performace #concealment #reflection #malegaze # behindthemask

Hand-painted mixed media on photograph

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Male portraits - the poetry within structure - Silentstoryteller_art

In my portrait practice as silentstoryteller_art , I am drawn to the geometry of the male face—its sharp lines, sculpted planes, and the quiet intensity it carries. My work explores how light and shadow can carve emotion into form, turning features into landscapes and expressions into stories. Each portrait becomes a moment of stillness where the subject’s presence is both strong and understated. I use contrast as a language—light reveals, shadow withholds, and in between them exists a space where vulnerability and power coexist. My fascination lies not just in documenting men, but in uncovering the subtleties that often go unnoticed: the softness behind a strong gaze, the silence behind confidence, the poetry within structure. Through these images, I aim to challenge the idea of masculinity as something rigid. Instead, I present men as complex, expressive beings—quiet storytellers whose truths emerge in the gentle shift of light across their features.

MEN IN MASKS SERIES - questioning masculinity, performance, and the social gaze.

Mask Series - Through this act of covering, I search for what is revealed in what is hidden. The mask becomes both shield and mirror—protecting identity even as it exposes its fragility. The painted surface breathes new life into the photograph, where tradition and modernity quietly wrestle for space. In the Mask Series, I explore the complex interplay between identity, tradition, and concealment through the use of Dristibomai masks—traditional ritual objects reimagined as face coverings for contemporary male figures. Each work in the series begins with a photograph, over which I hand-paint, merging the tactile with the digital to create layered narratives. The act of masking transforms the men into ambiguous, anonymous beings—simultaneously powerful and vulnerable. The traditional masks, once used to channel divine or spiritual energy, now obscure the individual identity of the wearer, prompting questions about masculinity, performance, and the social gaze. Each mask carries...

Rituals by the River - Documentation in Bihar

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Silentstoryteller_art - Dkmindia

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