Marc Tasman and Luke Farley’s Sporting Goods express a kind of truth‐in‐advertising with respect to gun violence in America. These are fine art pieces made from appropriating images of automatic weaponry from retail sporting goods ads, maniacally scrawled with the rhetoric of traditional sports campaign slogans, “just do it,” and “impossible is nothing.”
They don’t present the viewer with empirical data—the abhorrent statistics of a 365‐day calendar index of mass shootings. But they do connect the dots between the pumped‐up catchphrases from workout and self‐help lifestyle marketing, interleaved in the weekly ad circular with military grade weapons, and criminology factors to be found in the course of investigating the logic of perpetrators of mass‐shootings: rationalization, motivation, and opportunity.
If one needs evidence, the non‐profit organizations, Gun Violence Archive and Mass Shootings provides the “unbiased, raw statistics, all with verified sourcing to inform society of the number of Mass Shootings that occur in the United States each year,” at www.shootingtracker.com.
For a more gut‐based assessment by artists, Farley and Tasman recommend their Sporting Goods pieces.
Tim’s Garage, 2008 Giclée print 25.4 cm × 38.2 cm (10 in × 15 in)
About an hour’s drive north of the vibrant city of Montréal, Québec, in the Laurentian Mountains, is an idyllic enclave, cherished by five generations of a family.
Established in the early 20th century by Canadian communists, their descendants maintain this land community that swells in the summertime with friends and extended families cottaging and visiting permanent residents.
The community strives to protect the beauty and the natural resources of the area by limiting development and preserving common areas for varied activities.
However, the precious resources of pristine water and private, secluded woods are increasingly coming under threat from development projects on multiple fronts.
Alana’s Garden at the Studio, 2012 Giclée print 25.4 cm × 38.2 cm (10 in × 15 in)
Living Waters: 4th Annual Exhibit of the Milwaukee Jewish Artists’ Lab Group Exhibition at Harry & Rose Samson Family Jewish Community Center, Marcus Pavilion Gallery.
6255 N. Santa Monica Blvd.
Whitefish Bay, WI, USA
June 3- July 31, 2015
Opening Reception, June 4.
Sheets are Clean (Bedroom at Auntie Katie’s), 2008. Laurentides, Québec, Canada. Giclée print 25.4 cm × 38.2 cm (10 in × 15 in)
Natural Legacy: Selections from Laurentian Internationale Solo Exhibition at 10th Street Gallery, curated by Luke Farley.
628 N. 10th Street
Milwaukee, WI, USA
April 30- May 24, 2015
Reception, May 17.
10th Street Gallery is pleased to present an exhibition of photographs by Marc Tasman on view at 628 North 10th Street from April 30 to May 24, 2015. A reception for the artist will be held on Sunday, May 17 from 5:30-7 p.m. The show, “Natural Legacy,” which is Tasman’s largest exhibition in Wisconsin in 5 years (since he exhibited nearly 5,000 Polaroid self portraits in the 2010 Wisconsin Triennial) contains selections from the photo series “Laurentian Internationale,” and is curated by Luke Farley. The twenty one archival color photographs on display offer a glimpse into a curious community and their utopian vision in the mountains of Quebec, and more broadly evokes particular experiences of childhood and friendships, and legacies passed between generations.
FORWARD 2014: A Survey of Wisconsin Art Now Charles Allis Museum, biennial juried group exhibition
1801 N Prospect Ave
Milwaukee, WI, USA
March 7-June 29, 2014.
“Laurie Winters, Executive Director and CEO of the Museum of Wisconsin Art, was the juror for more than 250 entries and the final selections represent a range of current artistic production from around the state.” http://www.charlesallis.org/exhibitions.html
Infatuation (Boy and Frog), 2013 Giclée print 25.4 cm × 38.2 cm (10 in × 15 in)
Be Mine: A Conceptual Exhibition group show Greenleaf Art Center.
1806 W. Greenleaf Ave
Chicago, IL, USA
Opening reception, February 14, 2014.
Solo Exhibition at Galerie Remise Un Terrain Communautaire
Photographies de Marc Tasman
14 Rue de la Santé
Saint-Hippolyte, Quebec, Canada
Vernissage dans la Galerie Remise
Opening Reception
Sunday 2013-08-04 from 16:00 to 18:00
“Galerie Remise presents a series of 14 color photographs by
Marc Tasman that illuminate unique situations of culture in a
natural landscape fashioned over generations.”
Solo Exhibition at the Baron Museum Congregation Emanu-el B’ne Jeshurun
2020 West Brown Deer Rd.
River Hills, Wisconsin 53217
on view from June-September, 2013
Solo Exhibition at the Urban Ecology Center
1500 E. Park Place
Milwaukee, Wisconsin 53211
on view from October-December, 2012
Sunday, October 7th
2:00pm until 4:00pm
Urban Ecology Center Riverside Park
“Take a journey through [Laurentian International] viewing Marc Tasman’s brilliant photos. Enjoy Kathleen Walter’s unique mixed media compositions and be amazed by Tom Petri’s lifelike bird carvings. A show not to be missed! Artists will speak at 3pm. Show will be up through December 15, 2012.”
MARC TASMAN 