Role-taking, role-making: the mask as a tool in David Wojnarowicz’s Arthur Rimbaud in New York

Abstract

Traditionally, theatre actors wore masks to embody individuals with no clear identity. Masks did not feature specific anthropomorphic qualities, leaving audiences free to imagine the malleable and anonymous characters between fiction and actual plausibility. In contrast, in the photographic series Arthur Rimbaud in New York by artist, writer, and activist David Wojnarowicz, the use of a Rimbaud mask seems to have an opposite intention, overlapping meanings and allowing spatiotemporal compression. Portraying the French poet in different contexts and activities, Wojnarowicz is able to interpret the notion of identity and belonging following a narrative that is fictional, biographical and collective, addressing queer histories and temporalities. This paper discusses the multiple possibilities that the mask represents in this work.