Chris Mars exhibition and book signing at Barnes and Noble in Edina, Minnesota

PRLog (Press Release) - Mar 02, 2009 -
Chris Mars, in conjunction with the exhibition of six original paintings, will be signing copies of his debut monograph TOLERANCE at Barnes & Noble Booksellers in Edina, Minnesota

Wednesday, March 4, 2009 from 7pm to 9pm

Barnes & Noble Booksellers
3225 West 69th Street
Edina, MN
(952)920-0633

Please note: Chris will only be signing copies of "Tolerance" with no exceptions.


TOLERANCE has been featured in numerous publications including Vita MN, Magnet, Rue Morgue, Juxtapoz, Hi Fructose, Spin and American Way as well as numerous other magazines and websites.  Chris Mars was recently named one of the "Artists of the Year" in The City Pages.  The exhibition of paintings at this event provides a rare opportunity to view original work in the Twin Cities area.


From Lavender:
“Reminiscent of both the German Expressionist painter Otto Dix (1891-1969) and Hieronymous Bosch (c. 1450-1516), Chris Mars’s haunting and often-repellent works are nonetheless mesmerizing. To the question, “Am I my brother’s keeper?” Mars long ago answered, “Yes. I am.” From the beginning of his career, Mars (born 1961) has been motivated by his older brother, diagnosed with schizophrenia, and incarcerated at 16. Mars wrestles with issues of tolerance, acceptance, and exclusion, along with the beauty inherent and still surviving in the flawed. In these paintings, the Minneapolis-based artist shows how the inarticulate can be shorn of personhood—how the strong can pin a label on the voiceless, and use it against them. Many of his subjects are so tagged, i.e, “VM-5: The Poor Steward” (Pat Robinson), while his muted palette of browns and ochers is highlighted with startling reds and the opalescent white of freshly dug grubs. Tolerance is a powerful collection, filled with lessons to be digested and learned.”  - E.B. Boatner

From The City Pages:
“Inspired by the hell endured by his older brother, who in the early 1960s was institutionalized for schizophrenia, Mars paints desolate purgatories where deformed misfits huddle together in shared misery. His work is an ode to society's outsiders.

This fall, Mars published his debut monograph, Tolerance. The book is gory but undeniably beautiful, with a creep-show Catholic vibe. Horror and reverence blend within the pages, and corpse-like monsters become angels enshrined in stained-glass windows. The art is grotesque in the literary sense, evoking both empathy and revulsion...” - Gregory Scott

For reproduction images, additional information, or to arrange an interview with the artist, please contact Sally at Chris Mars Publishing:  (612)850-0803 or media@chrismarspublishing.com

Thank you.  Peace.

Chris Mars Publishing Inc.
  www.chrismarspublishing.com

ALSO UPCOMING:
Phoenix, AZ:  Exhibition at Perihelion Arts, May 2009
TX:  Solo exhibition at The Longview Museum of Fine Arts, September 2009
Los Angeles, CA:  Solo exhibition at Billy Shire Fine Arts, December 2009
New film and paintings posting soon at www.chrismarspublishing.com

Photo:
http://www.prlog.org/10191985/1