Fuji Friday...Masked (Fictive) Fuji

Who hasn’t been tempted at one time or another to absolutely rearrange routine and geography and slip into the guise of another?

Among those who have followed through on these impulses is the writer Jerzy Kosinsky. I recall him telling a story on a talk show many years ago and here is the gist:

He travelled to South America and walked far into the jungle where he encountered a group of indigenous tribesmen, they were wary of him at first, so he decided to pretend that he was mute. The natives gradually warmed to him. He stayed as their guest for a time, and then went home. He said that he would go back and appear periodically among the folk. He was always accepted and treated kindly. He was never challenged. Over and over he would visit for awhile, then take his leave and resume his life upon the world stage as a celebrated author. Somehow, word got back to the tribe of his true identity and the next time he came to call, he was shunned. He said that he was devastated by their rejection.

Kozinsky was quite convincing in the regret and grief that he expressed over his deception.

Lynn Hershman Leeson's “fictive art” was another, more successful exploration of assumed identity. Her "Roberta Breitman" is a character who the artist designed and inhabited for an extended period of time. She altered her appearance, had fake ID, dated, and rented rooms. While her ruse had a purpose... exploring such themes as feminism, identity, consumer culture and technology ...she also experienced blowback, angering some of those who were unwittingly brought along for the ride.

Masked (Fictive) Fuji
Acrylic on Canvas 4 x 6"
Photo by Jay York