Before designer masks flooded the marketplace during the pandemic, it was perhaps the humble blue surgical mask-worn most widely in March and April of 2020 to combat COVID-19—that became the most powerful trigger of anxious memories, emotions, and recollections from that unsettling period when the world seemed to tilt off its axis. For many, the experience of donning a mask felt strangely disorienting, as this once strictly medical accessory suddenly became an everyday necessity and symbol of collective vulnerability.

The six images presented here are drawn from a larger series of twenty-two photographs captured between early March and August 2020. According to several surveys, more conservative individuals were less inclined to wear masks, often citing concerns about personal freedom and civil rights. In contrast, the subjects in these selected images - more liberal-leaning by disposition - embraced the mask as both a shield and a statement. They wore masks that were tattered, torn, and riddled with holes - ironically offering little real protection from the virus. The symbolism is striking: the desire to assert individuality and self-expression seemed, for some, to outweigh the instinct for self-preservation in the face of a global health crisis.