Janus, 2022

Zora Mann, Janus, 2022; Ceramic, paint; 56 × 28 × 3 cm

The two ceramic masks in this series allude to Janus, the two-faced god of Roman mythology, also known as the god of beginnings and endings, passages, transitions, and duality. Shaped like dangling skulls, the blush-toned masks Janus and Juno are adorned with carved leaves and flowers, with beaded tendrils hanging from the masks’ eye sockets, as though brimming with life during spring. These ceramic details appear weightless despite the mass of each pendant, and additional charms hang puckering at the bottom with cubic edges and matte glaze. Like the god after which they are named, the works exist in the space as memento mori, performative reminders of the natural cycle of life.