Kelly Mark

Kelly Mark lives and works in Toronto, and is one of a new generation of artists gaining national and international attention. Her artwork encompasses an exploration of everyday actions and objects through the use of photography, video and sculpture. The fascination with the mundane is coupled with a desire to document and bring a sense of order to things in life that we disregard or have little control of. Broken Meter, for example, consists of a grid of photographs documenting idiosyncratic notes left at broken parking meters. Placed presents photographs of objects, ranging from styrofoam cups to pieces of crumpled paper that have been specifically "placed" or tucked into spots rather than simply being tossed away. Sniff is a video loop of the artist's cat sniffing an array of objects placed in front of him. Origami Transfer is comprised of dozens of bus transfers that have been obsessively folded and shaped into miniature sculptures. Displayed on shelves in the context of the gallery, these paper sculptures — some of which are made by the artist and others found on buses — are presented as art objects, but they are equally the product of habits shared by many of us.

This interest in the utterly mundane and in low-tech materials functions as an antidote to society's preoccupation with high-tech culture. It also proposes a relationship between the imprint of the individual and the commonplace rituals found throughout society. Kelly Mark's artwork is humorous, oddly profound and even poetic.

Biography

Kelly Mark has been exhibiting since 1991 and has been included in exhibitions at the Sydney Biennial; Art Gallery of Ontario, Toronto; Wynick/Tuck Gallery, Toronto; Ace Art, Winnipeg; and Proposition Gallery, Belfast. This is her first exhibition in Vancouver.