Sign(s) of the Times

selections from the series
2018–present

Masotta on the series:

This project began with a desire to paint portraits. While considering the genre of portraiture, I gradually turned my attention to images of crowds. Can the crowd become an appropriate subject for portraiture? How can the image of a group of people express a singular identity as powerfully as the image of an individual?

In conjunction with current events, I’ve made pieces that chronicle political protest, mass shootings, communal gatherings and joyous celebration. As I work these paintings, I concentrate on rendering that moment when people release their individuality and start to act with singularity. What does that moment feel like?