Contact Christine O’Donnell FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Telephone 617.718.5600 September 1, 2021 Email [email protected] Website www.beacongallery.com
October 1 – 31 2021 Beacon Gallery 524B Harrison Ave Boston, MA 02118
Mark Kelner, 524B Harrison
BOSTON, MA (September 1, 2021) – Beacon Gallery is pleased to announce the upcoming solo exhibition of artist Mark Kelner’s, “Dollar City.” Opening October 1st, Beacon Gallery will host an opening reception for “Dollar City” that evening, in conjunction with First Friday. The show will run through October 31st, 2021.
“Dollar City” functions as a trick mirror, reflecting a slightly distorted version of reality that allows the viewer to parse out the invisible socio-economic and cultural elements of control embedded within today’s urban landscape and the built environment. How do we define American slogans right now? In the twilight of a reality TV presidency, Kelner argues that phrases such as “In God We Trust” and “We the People” no longer reflect snappy sound bites that project one’s ideals concerning our national identity.
Instead, the ubiquity of everyday signage – empty words that serve a higher purpose in promoting commerce and salesmanship – ring true as markers of how we Americans see ourselves. Paintings that proclaim, “Going Out of Business,” “Fast Cash Loans,” “Last 3 Days,” and “Everything Must Go,” function as both reimagined real-to-life signs and as fine art designed to induce desire, while commenting on contemporary capitalist jargon.
Above: Mark Kelner, Studio View
In Kelner’s highly textured and archival canvases, deeply saturated hues capture an authentic take on 21st century American society. The relationship between text and its visual expression is both intentional and measured. In all, Kelner presents a unique take on sloganeering and Americanization.
“The nature of propaganda is a familiar theme in my practice, one that often documents and distorts imagery ranging from art history to pop culture to reveal their inherent contradictions as familiar symbols of contemporary life: their false representation of ideas, and as false idols propping up a system of consumerism where things and people are commodities.,” says the artist.
Join Kelner at Beacon Gallery for October’s First Friday to learn more about his work in person. For hours, appointments, and more information, please contact the gallery.
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About Mark Kelner:
Mark Kelner is a visual artist and filmmaker based in Washington, DC and Brooklyn. A graduate of George Mason University, where he studied with the esteemed novelist Vasily Aksyonov, his work has appeared in Artenol, The Atlantic, The Washington Post and The Times among other media outlets. His practice centers on the distortion of ubiquitous mass – cigarette labels, oil and gas station logos, fast food signs, and retail culture, among other touchstones. In 2019, his solo exhibition “Solaris: Shelter for the Next Cold War” garnered wide acclaim and over 13,000 visitors. In 2015, he was a featured guest on PBS’s Charlie Rose concerning the intersection of art, culture, politics, and Russia. Of late, he has shown at Ronald Feldman Gallery in New York and the Librairie du Globe in Paris. Of note, earlier this year, his first museum acquisition was to the Zuzeum Art Centre in Riga, Latvia as part of their inaugural exhibition “American Dreams.” Prior to the art world, he worked with filmmaker Steven Spielberg, coordinating the production of video testimonies of Holocaust survivors in Eastern Europe and the former Soviet Union for the USC Shoah Foundation Institute. Mr. Kelner is represented by Galerie Blue Square (Washington, DC) and LAZY Mike (Los Angeles) and, this summer, exhibited his first solo show in Tokyo titled, “Barcodes” at The Container. A 77 page catalog has been published by the gallery documenting the exhibit.
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For details on Beacon Gallery’s COVID policies and procedures, to make an appointment to visit, or for high resolution photos, please contact Christine O’Donnell at [email protected].
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