Veiled - Lent 2020

Inspired by the traditional practice of covering icons and statuary during Lent, Mason Pippenger brings us a photo essay that explores this idea both as a “fast for the senses” and as treating the human body as a sacred object. As these photos are self-portraits, we are even invited to consider Mason’s body in the context of a sacred objetct. We can see in this work both the self-exploration and the self-denial that Lent represents.

“For this series, I took inspiration from the tradition of covering crucifixes and other sacred things in churches during Lent. I wanted to represent the sacredness with oneself though and have people see Lent as a time of inward reflection. I tried to capture different moments and points-of-view with my photos (as an outside viewer, the act of covering the object, as the sacred object itself, etc). I think that spiritual and non-spiritual people can use Lent as a beneficial and useful time to locate the faults and potential of both ourselves and our religious organizations.” - Mason Pippenger