Mask-maker, mask-maker, make me a mask: The definitive answer to the classic question – “Who was that masked man?” – must be “Zarco Guerrero,” a Latino artist who calculates that he has made more than 30,000 masks.
“There’s something about that frozen moment of isolated expression that reaches us in a primal way,” said Guerrero, who uses 10 of his hand-carved masks in his “Face 2 Face in a Frenzy” performances.
“A mask itself is intimidating. Somehow, masks frighten people. Some of it has to do with horror movies, but fundamentally, masks have the power to elicit a strong emotional response.”
Denver artist Mike Romoth, who creates Halloween masks at his gallery, Mike Romoth Designs on Santa Fe Drive, deliberately makes his masks menacing. A frisson of danger imbues even his pretty masks, with their beaded fringes that suggests burka veils and erotic danger. Other masks evoke Mexican wrestling disguises.
“I do some scary stuff,” Romoth said cheerfully.
“The other day, a man and his kids came into my gallery to look at the masks. I asked what they wanted. They said, ‘Oh, psycho killer.’ And I said, ‘You’re in the right place.”‘
The customers decided against elaborate masks like the matching pirate king and queen set, and bought an unpainted black mask made of the tooling belly leather Romoth favors. Like most of Romoth’s masks, that one will serve on Halloween.
In contrast, Guerrero, who has studied mask-making throughout the world, views masks as theatrical and cultural props. His “Face 2 Face in a Frenzy” show uses eight to 10 masks to establish characters who discuss themes from Dia de los Muertos to immigration.
“The mask is important in my performances, but it’s not only all about the mask,” said Guerrero, whose Yaqui Indian and Mexican ancestry led to a childhood punctuated with mask rituals and festivals.
“It’s really all about the power of language. The mask kind of grabs our attention and captivates the audience so they’ll listen to what’s being said. My characters remind people of others they know. It creates an illusion, almost like the mask disappears on the face, and you don’t see the face anymore. You see the mask.
“It creates almost another dimension.”
“Face 2 Face in a Frenzy”: 7 p.m. Wednesday at the Denver Museum of Nature & Science, 2001 Colorado Blvd.; tickets free but reservations required for limited seating, 303-322-7009 or 800-925-2250; and at 6 p.m. Thursday at the University of Colorado Museum of Natural History, Henderson Building, 15th Street and Broadway, Boulder; free.
