Doloris
Holmes

Doloris Holmes is a performance artist and poet who founded the White Mask Theatre. Her work has been exhibited in the New York area since 1962. In 1972 she went to Spain to visit a prehistoric cave and ...

Films

  • Read More
    Room of the White Mask
    Experimental

    Room of the White Mask
    Doloris Holmes

    16mm, color, sound, 12.5 min
    Rental format: 16mm
  • Read More
    Searching For The Women Of The Left Bank, a play by Doloris Holmes
    Experimental

    Searching For The Women Of The Left Bank, a play by Doloris Holmes
    Doloris Holmes

    video, color, sound, 83 min
    Rental format: VHS NTSC
    • Literarature / Theater

Biography

Doloris Holmes is a performance artist and poet who founded the White Mask Theatre. Her work has been exhibited in the New York area since 1962. In 1972 she went to Spain to visit a prehistoric cave and was profoundly influenced by the art she saw there. Her experience there led her to reexamine her life and her marriage to the poet Armand Schwerner. When she returned to the United States they divorced and she decided to pursue a new life dedicated to her artistic talents. Her first performance upon her return from Spain was called Fish-Joy and was about her thoughts and experiences in the cave. Her experience in the cave also inspired her to found the White Mask Theatre. In May, 1978 she took on a new name to symbolize her rebirth and new life. She chose the name Janais to honor both Janis Joplin and Anaïs Nin. Holmes has two sons, Adam and Ari Schwerner.