The magazine of the photo-essay
“A free, really high quality photo-essay magazine. Fabulous!”
Stephen Fry. British actor, writer and film maker
"These photographs, distilled from a lifetime of work, reveal the precision of Chris
Rainier's vision, the breadth of his imagination and the reach of his spirit as
expansive and all embracing as the many worlds through which he has traveled."
Wade Davis - Colombian-Canadian anthropologist, ethnobotanist, author, and
photographer
Ever since the dawn of human civilization, mankind has been in search of the sacred
and a profound connection to the spiritual world. For countless traditional cultures
around the planet, the dancing of the mask allows the performers and their audience
to create a powerful relationship to a meaningful sense of the sacred. While masks
have been hung in the great museums of the world, they are all too often separated
from their context and meaning. Chris’ mission has been to bring the masks back to
life. His powerful images bring out their deep spiritual meaning and each of the masks is shown in the world in which it is
worshipped and understood. They are profoundly alive and intensely powerful. Chris’ images truly reveal how the masks
still dance.
by Chris Rainier
Tlingit Raven Mask, Alaska
Hamatsa Raven Mask, Alert Bay Canada
Buddhist Deer Mask, Mustang region, Nepal
Butterfly Mask, Bwa region, Burkina Faso, West Africa
Shaman performing, Northern Mongolia
Sirige Mask, Dogon region, Mali, West Africa
Samurai Mask, Tokyo, Japan
Plank Mask, Bwa region, Burkina Faso, West Africa
Skeleton Masks, Thimpu, Bhutan
Bull Mask, Bwa region, Burkina Faso, West Africa
Haymen, (schab) Masks, Tauplitz, Austria
Naga Raksha Mask Central Sri Lanka
Brown Bear Mask, Alert Bay, Canada