Kelly Mark

Born: Welland, Ontario 1967

Lives and works in Toronto, Canada

Artist Statement

I have always had an intense preoccupation with the differing shades of pathos and humour found in the repetitive mundane tasks, routines and rituals of everyday life. Hidden within these spans of time can be found startling moments of poetic individuation, and an imprint of the individual within the commonplace rituals of society. Individuation, especially within this uniformity, although subtle and frequently paradoxical, is something I find myself returning to again and again. Through my ‘will to order’ and my frequently inane sense of humour my objective is the investigation, documentation and validation of these singular ‘marked’ and ‘unmarked’ moments of our lives…

inandoutinstall_2009alast

In & Out – 1997 ongoing until 2032

Steel time card racks & punched cards

Current dimensions of installed work is approximately 28 feet

This work was purchased by a private collector in 1999 and he continues to purchase each years cards

Installation view of 1997-2008: Time as Activity at Netwerk Center for Contemporary Art. Aalst, Belgium 2009

Ongoing project where I keep track of my ‘working hours’ in the studio on an old punch clock. Started in 1997, this project will end in 2032 when i turn 65.

 

glowhouse3

Glow House #2 – 2003

House, 40-50 television sets, coaxial cables, splitters & signal booster

Solo off site project for The Ikon Gallery. Birmingham UK, 2003. Curated by Jonathan Watkins & Deborah Kermode

One House & 35-40 television sets distributed throughout and all tuned to the same channel.

The small flicker of light emanating from each TV is then turned into a ‘pulse’ of light throughout the entire house. As the scenes change, from whatever television program is airing at the moment, the house flashes and pulses as all televisions are in sync with one another. Gives the eerie impressions that the entire house has been gutted to create one vast illuminated space. During commercials it is as if fireworks are going off inside…

publicdisturbancehbtake3

Public Disturbance HB Series: Take 1, Take 2, Take 3 – 2010 (3.5 min video excerpt)
Single-channel video in 3 parts / Three-channel video installation
16 minutes, 19 seconds
Edition of 5 + 1 AP
Videographer: Nelson Rogers, Sound Engineer: David Best

Edited video from a live 4-hour public performance Public Disturbance where professional actors were hired to pose as couples and reenact various domestic based arguments from movie scipts in a public setting. The actual performance included 3 separate actor-couples each performing different fight scenes. In this video version of the work I focus on just one couple and follow their re-occurring arguement in various locations, over the course of the evening.

 

horroridor1_stillthumbs

Horroridor – 2008
Six-channel video installation
10 minutes
Commissioned by Wayne Baerwaldt for Scotiabank Nuit Blanche, 2008

Utilizing found footage from various genres including horror-thriller-sci/fi-action-drama-comedy. The installation examines Hollywood’s construction of the reaction to the unknown. Horroridor strips away narrative to a non-articulated response of fear, horror, pain, madness, rage and frustration, by isolating men and women screaming to unknown forces that threaten existence.

Sourced from Kelly Mark’s Website

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