Last night I watched George Franju’s Les yeux sans visage / Eyes Without a Face (1960) on the big screen (thanks BFI) and was struck by how the aesthetics of Christiane Genessier’s mask resonated so strongly in relation to the work of Gillian Wearing and Marnie Weber. There is clearly an in-depth exploration waiting on how the mask functions in horror cinema and art, particularly in relation to women and identity. In the meantime, here are some images:

Final scene in which Christiane Genessier has set things ‘right

Still of the Spirit Girls from Marnie Weber’s Sing Me a Western Song (2007)

Christiane calling her fiance.

Gillian Wearing’s Self Portrait at Three Years Old (2003)