Sin Nombre

“Sin Nombre” is a four part collage series created by choreographer Madz DeRose (Montreal, Canada) and visual artist Enrique Reyes (Cancun, Mexico). The artistic duo use the lucha libre mask as a metaphorical lens to examine Reyes' year spent living abroad in Quebec, Canada. The luchador mask is an unmistakably Mexican symbol; one of strength and resilience, two terms often used to describe the Mexican immigrant. The mask directly marks the wearer as Mexican whilst simultaneously concealing the individual, directly contributing to the “othering” immigrants face when attempting to assimilate. The collages explore the contrast between Reyes' home city Cancun, where locals readily adapt to the foreigners' needs, specifically linguistically, and that of DeRose’s home city of Montreal. A city whose linguistic expectations often reject foreigners' needs. This linguistic tension is reinforced by the recurring phrase “You like the mask, but not what’s underneath”. “Sin Nombre” also highlights the role of the white observer modeled by DeRose in the collages. The observer, a person who can adapt the aesthetic and remove the mask as they please. In contrast Reyes models the inability to remove the associations placed upon him, as the mask of his heritage continually defines him. These collages serve as an independent visual art work that was used as research material for a soon - to be - contemporary dance performance choreographed by both DeRose and Reyes, which will explore language and identity through the symbolic use of lucha libre forms.