Considered one of the most representative Spanish artists of the 1980s and 1990s, Pepe Espaliú often used symbolic, highly connotative components like gloves, scars and masks, which we associate with the experience of pain, isolation and wounds. While his work was habitually distinguished by personal references, such as to conflicts related to identity, they became more evident as his career progressed. From 1986 to 1990, the artist emphasised his face as an expression of identity, whether showing it uncovered or using a mask, ovals or shells. This work from 1989 is part of the series Máscara, done with various materials. In this particular case, Espaliú combines the hardness of bronze with the fragility of hemp rope. The piece was influenced by the Zaire and Ivory Coast collections in the British Museum, which the artist had visited.