Rachel Selekman
Face Shield 3: Love Is Love, 2023
Mixed media
72 x 18 x 18 ½ inches
 
 
“Love Is Love” is from a series of face and body shields I’ve been making since 2019. In this face shield, which can be taken off the stand and carried with the handle on the back, I’m expanding my content to include marginalized groups in addition to women, the focus of the first shields. Here, the common phrase “Love Is Love” shares the message that everyone should have the freedom to love and marry whomever they want. It shouldn't be controversial, but the LGBTQIA+ community is under attack. For this piece, I discovered new ways to handle beaded lettering, as seen in "IS LOVE," and I taught myself to make daisy chains, both hanging from the bottom of the shield. This face shield in particular, references African masks. I have always loved and been inspired by African art. Its power and impact is what I want my shields to convey.