This work originated with a 19th-century photograph of one of the last known onna-bugeisha, the female samurai of Japan. Her posture carries a striking tension—strength held in restraint, a weariness that today might be read as dissociation, yet still unwavering in resolve. I see in her the layers of masks women wear to endure, to protect, and to enact change in the world around us. Her image is set within a collaged environment that on masks and layers. Translucent papers marked with gesture overlay medieval woodcuts, industrial schematics, symbols of liberty and revolution, and even a fragment of a Mexican board game from the early 20th century. Through this layering, histories and cultures converge. Color acts as a bridge across time, infusing the piece with vibrancy and immediacy. It underscores the idea that past narratives are never fully behind us—they echo through the present, shaping how we live, resist, and imagine today.