Local souvenir · Venice
The Venetian mask did not begin as a decorative object. It began as a social instrument. In a city where everyone knew each other, hiding was the only way to be free. For centuries in Venezia, masks allowed people to step outside their social roles, mingle among different classes, observe without being recognized, and live without being judged. They were not used only during Carnival, but also in theaters, parties, public gatherings, and everyday moments. In Venezia, anonymity has never meant escape, but possibility. The mask does not conceal out of fear, but by choice.
