This publication was co-produced in 2000 by the Contemporary Art Gallery; the Art Gallery of Hamilton; and Hamilton Artists Inc. to coincide with three separate exhibitions by Kelly Mark, 卌 [*four lines and a fifth line drawn through them*] at the Contemporary Art Gallery from April 15 – May 27, 2000; 9 to 5 presented at the Art Gallery of Hamilton from January 15 – April 2, 2000; and Messages at the Hamilton Artist’s Inc. from January 7 – February 5, 2000.


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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.



This is a close-up view of black steel racks installed in the gallery. The racks store a number of time cards. The name of the artist, Kelly Mark is typed on each of those time cards. 

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Many artworks are installed in the gallery. Video works are played on two CRT TVs which are placed at the opposite end of the gallery. Two-dimensional works are mounted on the walls between the TVs.

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Multiple artworks are installed in the gallery. A mustard-coloured couch is placed with a CRT TV at the end of the gallery. Small-sized sculptures and pictures are mounted on the white walls.

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Small-sized sculptures are installed on the white gallery wall. They are all made out of crumpled paper. Some look more cylindrical than others. There are five rows of ten sculptures on the wall.

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Seven wedding photographs are installed on the gallery wall above the mustard-coloured couch. A black CRT TV is placed in front of the couch. All photographs are gold framed. 

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Six rows of thirty-five silver dinner knives are placed on the gallery floor. Those different sets of knives face their cutting edges to the right and point to the white wall.  

Kelly Mark

Related Exhibitions