This work extends my ongoing Lifestyle Series of digital artworks and paintings, which explores themes of inauthenticity, decadence, and power through the surreal lens of a masquerade ball.

With these new studies, I wanted to push the concept further by incorporating elements of horror, depicting the masked participants of the masquerade ball as they leave their opulent world to terrorize a suburban community.

In developing this work, I have been reflecting on stories my parents and extended family shared about life under communism in Cuba during the 1960s, when neighbors were imprisoned or killed for political reasons. I see unsettling parallels in the present day in the United States.

The “Life Styles” series combines satire and social commentary, the parties depicted are a metaphor for the dysfunction and decadence of the ruling class. The scene parodies bourgeoisie grandeur while exposing its absurdities. The animal masks symbolize the dehumanizing effects of power. The pets represent subservience and dependency on authority. Cakes and pastries symbolize gluttony and excess, while the grandiose settings suggest corruption within religious, governmental, and cultural institutions.