Masks. Reciprocity.

Since the start of the pandemic I felt the urgent need to respond, to provide aid and support in whatever way possible. I asked myself what particular skills and experiences I could put to the service of the most adversely affected--the QTBIPOC communities chronically underserved by the state and historically impacted by structural racism? How could I reach people in need during a quarantine that requires us to shelter in place? What new skills did I need to learn in order to make my efforts more effective? I understood this to be an important moment that demanded immediate action and organization.  As governments and institutions in so many countries demonstrated that they were unwilling and unprepared to attend to the basic needs of their populations, their lies became apparent allowing us to see beyond their façades and the masks they wore to conceal their motives. It became clear that an “everyone for themselves” mentality would lead to the decimation of entire communities. I knew it was essential -and urgent- that artists take the lead in helping communities to support and provide aid for one another by creating networks and alliances. 

At the core of my practice is the methodology of reciprocity.  Activism was not at the forefront of my mask-making efforts at first, but the drive to serve and protect our communities. I felt an urgent need to make as many masks as I could and get them out to as many as I could. Yet as I made and donated masks to people I had never met, something unexpected began to occur in response. I began to receive bags of beans, tortillas, eggs, milk, jalapeños, maseca, flowers, brownies, kitchen sponges, cheese, wine, fabric... I was making and donating the masks with love, expecting nothing material in return but that they be received and worn in good health. I recognized, however, that the recipients of the masks were teaching me the value of reciprocity and introducing it back into this work. They were reminding me of the guiding principle of my own practice, which is the importance and value of recognizing each other´s contributions and labor through acts of reciprocity, and that these must be present in all of our interactions. It is also a process in which we give, as well as receive, in a horizontal reciprocal exchange. This is the very definition of respect. 

And ultimately, we cannot forget the essential nature of the masks we wear during Covid-19: The fact is that my mask doesn’t only protect me. It protects you. To wear a mask is in itself, is an act of reciprocal exchange. 

Read more on how we New York-based artists responded to community needs during the pandemic in The New York Times here.