03 Oct 2024
Posted by Kelly Fleck 
Loading ...
Artist Miya Turnbull’s new exhibition, Revealed, opens at Shintani Gallery on Oct. 4. Mask #5 by Miya Turnbull. Photo courtesy of the artist.
TORONTO — Often, wearing a mask means concealing one’s face and hiding their true self beneath. Ironically, artist Miya Turnbull‘s masks are quite the opposite. Turnbull’s masks are self-portraits, revealing layers of herself and her exploration of her mixed-race Japanese Canadian identity within.
In Turnbull’s new exhibit, Revealed, she invites viewers to peel back the layers of her masks and, perhaps, reveal things about themselves in the process. Revealed opens at Shintani Gallery in Toronto on Oct. 4 and runs until Oct. 27. Along with the opening reception, Turnbull will run three origami workshops at the gallery on Oct. 6.
Turnbull is a Yonsei visual artist and mask-maker based in Halifax and grew up on a family farm in Alberta. She has crafted hundreds of masks—three-dimensional self-portraits that range from representational to distorted—symbolizing the diverse iterations of her identity and exploration of self-image.
Half Japanese by Miya Turnbull. Photo courtesy of the artist.
Each mask is created from a mould created from a plaster casting of her face. She layers pieces of paper-mâché, made of newsprint and a glue-water mixture, on the mould, becoming the base of each mask. From there, the possibilities are endless. Turnbull collages images of her face and features to make wild combinations: a face with an eye for a mouth and mouths for eyes, a long nose made from paper-mâché to look like an oni (monster) from a Japanese folk tale, or stretches her face into a round oval with painted whiskers, ears, and a bow like Hello Kitty.
Revealed will feature a wall of Turnbull’s masks, including some exploring Japanese artistic techniques and materials like shibori (indigo dyeing), sashiko (embroidery), rice paper, and calligraphy.
Image 5 by Miya Turnbull. Photo courtesy of the artist.
Also featured in the exhibit are full-sized photographs of Turnbull wearing skin-toned bodysuits while a mask covers her face. In recent years, she has taken her masks off of the walls and started wearing them in photographs, videos, and now collaborative dance projects.
Turnbull first connected with Toronto artist and gallery owner Will Shintani of Shintani Gallery through Yume. Digital Dreams, a project produced by Tashme Productions during the pandemic to create work apart and digitally. The connections made through the project for Turnbull and Shintani with fellow Japanese Canadian artists have been impactful and long-lasting.
Turnbull is currently working with dance artist and choreographer Shion Skye Carter and dramaturg Julie Tamiko Manning on Omote (面), a collaborative dance piece using Turnbull’s masks. Turnbull worked with Shintani to mount this exhibit at Shintani Gallery, part of the unTwisted Perspectives series, created with support from the Japanese Canadian Legacies Fund.
Nikkei Voice caught up with Turnbull between rehearsals for Omote (面) and preparations for the new exhibit to discuss Revealed. Check out Turnbull’s interview below.
Nikkei Voice: I love the name Revealed. I think of how it relates to unveiling the layers of meaning in your masks. Can you take me behind the meaning of the name and how it reflects the many versions of the self portrayed through your masks?
Miya Turnbull: Will and I were discussing potential themes and titles for this exhibit, and we landed on the word, Revealed, and it really resonated and sounded intriguing.
I consider it ironic in a way that a show of masks and portraits of myself masked would be revealing in any way, but I think that’s the beauty and the magic of masks in itself. By concealing one’s face, something unexpected is perhaps exposed. I’m hoping it’ll be intriguing to see all the self-portraiture work together and to try and find something new to discover in each mask and portrait. I am showing glimpses and hints about myself and peeling back the layers a bit, even if only metaphorically.
Fractured by Miya Turnbull. Photo courtesy of the artist.
NV: We’ve talked about the masks we wear in everyday life in previous interviews—the different sides of ourselves we show in private versus public, etc. How do you hope Revealed may raise questions for visitors about the masks they wear (and may not be aware of)?
MT: I really hope it sparks even a tiny bit of questioning about one’s self in how they portray themselves to the world or even a realization that masking is something we perhaps naturally do in life in different circumstances or situations depending on how ‘safe’ it is to be ‘ourselves.’ Because sometimes I think we do this as a protective measure but might [we] not notice that we do that. Or realize that by holding up a mask, sometimes an opportunity is missed to share something about ourselves that can perhaps resonate with others.
NV: Through your work, you’ve explored many Japanese art styles, such as shibori [indigo dye], sashiko [embroidery], calligraphy, and now also butoh—and collaborated with other Japanese Canadian artists. How has your art-making shaped your understanding of your Japanese Canadian identity?
MT: Through this process of learning more about different Japanese styles and techniques, it’s been a wonderful exploration and pride to connect with this cultural side of myself, and, in a lot of ways, it’s a reclaiming of this identity. When my mother was growing up, many things considered “Japanese’ were thought of as negative at that time in history, and there was a push and need for assimilation.
So, I think it’s an important part of my practice that I incorporate and re-connect with this part of myself, which comes with such a rich history of aesthetics and imagery.
Revealed, a solo exhibit of masks, sculptures and portraits at the Shintani Gallery runs Oct. 4 to 27, 2024.
NV: Your work is becoming more and more interactive through dance performances, photo shoots with the community, and these upcoming [origami] workshops. What do you enjoy about seeing others interact, explore, and play with your work?
MT: I love seeing the masks through other people’s “eyes.” It always helps me experience the masks in new ways and appreciate the beauty, and weirdness, and playfulness about them.
I absolutely love collaborating with dance artists such as Shion Skye Carter (Vancouver) and Emiko Agatsuma (Tokyo) and musicians such as Hitoshi Sugiyama (Edmonton). All of these artists help me take my masks to a whole new level of engaging with an audience. They have all helped me bring these masks to life in a way that I find extremely exciting and wouldn’t have done on my own.
For example, I was just in a creation residence with Shion as we get ready for a new performance of Omote (面) next spring, and as interesting as the masks are on their own, seeing Shion interact and embody and move with the masks, brings poetry to mind. It’s incredible! I have been learning so much by opening up my practice to collaboration.
NV: For people who see the exhibit, what do you hope they will enjoy, or what will they take away from the show?
MT: Even though I’m making self-portraits, I do hope the masks and ideas resonate with people and that they interpret the images in their own way according to their own experiences. I hope they find my masks interesting and compelling and that they feel inspired to also explore creativity in their own lives.
Because Shintani Gallery might receive more of a Japanese Canadian audience overall, I also hope there is pride in ourselves as a community and feelings of connection between us all.
And I hope people will enjoy making my self-portrait origami with me during the workshops, and they can create a few pieces to keep. It’s a very playful and fun experience, and I think that by folding up my face in different configurations, it’s a reminder to not take ourselves too seriously.
***
Revealed by Miya Turnbull runs at Shintani Gallery from Oct. 4 to 27 with Origami Workshops on Sunday, Oct. 6.
Workshops are free, but space is limited, so registration is required. More info and registration here.
Mask #10 by Miya Turnbull. Photo courtesy of the artist.
