Traces of Absence: A Review of SaraNoa Mark at Chicago Artists Coalition
The exhibition “Temporarily Removed” at Chicago Artists Coalition comprises a body of work by SaraNoa Mark that emerged during her BOLT residency. Mark moves the viewer through an assemblage of sculptures, reliefs and objects, using each axis of a 334-square-foot gallery space as a line of archaeological inquiry. The exhibition guides the viewer to consider how time marks the earth and what becomes of materials once they have been extracted from their places of origin.
As a co-director of the 4th Ward Project Space and an employee of the Oriental Institute of the University of Chicago, Mark spends a significant amount of time on gallery floors and guarding what, in the midst of preparing for the museum’s centennial, is a collection of empty exhibition cases. Mark’s experience of protecting absence has heightened her sense of the strangeness of the presence of the museum’s artifacts thousands of miles from their points of extraction.
SaraNoa, Installation view of “Temporarily Removed” at Chicago Artists Coalition, Spring 2019
Born and raised in the Bronx, Mark moved to Chicago after spending several months visiting European museums and archaeological sites supported by a grant from The John Anson Kittredge Fund. Intrigued by geological time and its effects on land, Mark began collecting parts of the earth as she traveled, like rocks and samples of sand. She began to question where the human desire to collect land originates.
In the first moment of the show, we are presented with some of these sand samples from across the world on a long carved table displaying precious ceramic squares containing samples grouped by either geographic location or political themes. Sand from Giza, Egypt; the West Bank, Palestine; Iraq; Ground Zero in Nagasaki, Japan; southern Vietnam; and Indiana sand mines have made their way to Chicago’s West Town neighborhood, either through the artist’s own hand or through her interactions with sellers on eBay. Although rooted in a local context, the work couples artistic gesture with global trade flows, setting the ideas of definite borders and the specificity of place against the predatory practices of neocolonialism and the portability of objects.
Mark’s interest in the materiality of sand and its movements begins to trace outlines on a map charting the invisibility of the online marketplace—whether it be for sand or artifacts. In a series of photographs of correspondences between Mark and the “sand sellers” in the accompanying exhibition pamphlet, each vendor validates stories and the authenticity of the sand sent to the artist—a subtle yet effective performative gesture that reveals the hesitation for a proof of authenticity and the blurring of the absent artifact, removed from its original context.
The exhibit draws a precarious relationship between record, history and material. Both material and immaterial components of heritage come to the fore in the fragmentary presentation of the wall-mounted sculpture titled “Spells for keeping the soul attached to the body.” A strange configuration of geometric carved paper clay reliefs made out of a repurposed temporary wall from the Oriental Institute point to no particular place or time, while its shape directly references the Nespekashuty tomb fragment from Thebes at the same institution. Mark sees the construction of history as fragmentary; a collectively built imaginary, replete with missing elements, incidents and incongruities. Many elements in the exhibit, whose material traces can be found in the urban tissue of Chicago, make cultural history universal, as they have been stripped of context and re-presented in a gallery.
SaraNoa, Installation view of “Temporarily Removed” at Chicago Artists Coalition, Spring 2019
Another piece taken with the issue of museum collections is a wall with equidistantly placed wire mounts that had been used to hold artifacts in museum displays. Devoid of the physical objects they were designed to support, the installation spells out a disjointed story with incomprehensible alphabets. In an exhibition that looks at presence, absence and the routes inherently charted by an artifact, Mark comments on issues vital to the formation of the institution itself. Permanence, transience and traces begin to emerge as references that run across the exhibit. In the bodily action of repetitively marking clay paper surfaces with a set of seven carving tools, the kinetic ability of the artists’ body to remember physical, psychological and, importantly, social habits and the systems they impose become clear. The minutiae of detail on the carved tables, reliefs and sculptures can be attributed to a hand that could be both exquisitely practiced and possessed. Mark’s gestures across varied surfaces speak to a need to resonate and transfer traces of invisibility, suffered by culture or community, while standing as record to the artist’s inconspicuous gestures within a specific moment in time in the studio.
By drawing awareness to the phenomena of extraction and recasting of objects in new geographic and political contexts, Mark foregrounds the growing tensions between the tightening of borders and an ever-intensifying movement of global human and material flow. The exhibit points to what is accepted, rejected, appropriated and distorted in the institutional framework and prompts us to consider the continuum between the seemingly innocent act of collecting a rock and the larger implications of cultural and land appropriation as destructive colonial industries. Mark allows for an experience to be developed, deconstructed and reworked by viewers that reflects on our conscious and unconscious refusal to analyze schemes of repression in our daily social structures. (Pia Singh)
SaraNoa Mark’s “Temporarily Removed” shows through April 4 at Chicago Artists Coalition, 2130 West Fulton.
Temporarily Removed at the Chicago Artists Coalition
Opening Reception: FEBRUARY 21st 5-8pm
The show will run February 21st - April 4th 2019
Preview 8
Opening Friday, November 30, 2018 - 6:00pm to Thursday, December 20, 2018 - 5:00pmOpening Reception: Friday, November 30, 6-9 pm
Chicago Artists Coalition is pleased to present Preview 8, a group exhibition featuring the 2018-2019 BOLT Artists-in-Residence.
Preview 8 presents works by Danny Giles, Erin Hayden, Cathy Hsiao, Mev Luna, SaraNoa Mark, Devin T. Mays. This group show reveals new works by each of the artists in anticipation of their solo exhibitions occurring in 2019. Preview 8 is curated by Jared Quinton.
Open Studios Night
During the opening reception of Preview 8, visit the BOLT Open Studios to see other works by the Artists-in-Residence.
White Columns Online 'PLS' curated by Francisco Correa Cordero
"A limit can be understood as something to be pushed and/or reached beyond; as a maximum or minimum capacity to act; or, as the threshold beyond which one can never reach. The limit, then, is highly significant to our understanding of what a body could be and its inhabitation of space. Uncovering, experiencing, or experimenting with what, where and when the limits of the body are, [...] can make evident or potentially disrupt our notion of what it means to be a human being in the world." – Sebastian Abrahamsson, The limits of the body: boundaries, capacities, thresholds (2011)
“PLS,” short for “phantom limb sensations” or “phantom limb syndrome,” refers to the feelings (sometimes pain) in limbs that are no longer part of oneself, and is perceived outside of the limits and borders of the body. It was originally believed that it was caused by the grieving over the loss of the limb, but as opposed to other types of chronic pain, psychological factors are not precisely the cause. In some cases, this feeling is perceived in limbs that never existed in the first place. It is actually due to a reorganization of the nervous system. This peculiar phenomenon and adaptation to new conditions, is at the core of this exhibition.
Francisco Correa Cordero is the founder and director of the contemporary art space Lubov in Lower Manhattan and the executive coordinator at Independent Curators International (ICI) in New York.
This exhibition is the seventh in a series of online exhibitions; this exhibition was curated from White Columns' Artist Registry.
Participating Artists Include:
Daryl Bergman, Jerry Blackman, Gabriel Simon Cohen, Kristine Eudey, Nicolas Fleming, Tania Jade Houtzager, Daniel Jensen, Katie Kirk, SaraNoa Mark, Chris Pousette-Dart, John J. Richardson, Barb Smith
SARANOA MARK A CONVERSATION WITH ANCIENT OBJECTS
I am grateful to Chester Alamo-Costello for including me in the Chicago Artist Portrait Project and for offering me the space to reflect on my studio practice in writing, to read the interview please visit: http://www.thecompmagazine.com/saranoa-mark/
Impossible Archive
Kaitlyn Basta | Rosemarie Chiarlone | Jacintha ClarkEmily Elliott | SaraNoa Mark | Kate McCammon | Ana Vizcarra Rankin
July 12 - September 2
Opening Reception: Thursday, July 19th 5-7 pm
Alumni Gallery, Historic Landmark Building
Everyday realities, unfathomable scale and untold histories come together inImpossible Archive. Chosen through an open call juried by PAFA’s Edna S. Tuttleman Director of the Museum, Brooke Davis Anderson and Director of Exhibitions, Judith Thomas, the works of seven PAFA alumnus - Kaitlyn Basta, Rosemarie Chiarlone, Jacintha Clark, Emily Elliott, SaraNoa Mark, Kate McCammon, and Ana Vizcarra Rankin - question how one might place themselves within the vast, complexity of existence. Through tiny slices in a surface, painted interventions as writing, or explorations in human and natural history, each work in Impossible Archive acts as a document of experience - whether collective or personal.
BOLT RESIDENCY
I am excited to share that I have been named a BOLT Resident for 2018- 2019 along artists: Erin Hayden, Devin Mays, Cathy Hsiao, Danny Giles, Mev Luna.
BOLT Residency is a highly competitive, juried, one-year artist studio residency program offering emerging and established artists the opportunity to engage the Chicago arts community and its public in critical dialogue about contemporary art.
Located at the Chicago Artists Coalition’s brand new 6,700-square-foot facility in the vibrant Kinzie Industrial Corridor, BOLT provides workspace, creative community, exhibition opportunities and professional development for Chicago-based, contemporary artists.
White Columns' Curated Artist Registry
New profile in White Columns' Curated Artist Registry
I am currently a Co-Director at the 4th Ward Project Space
4th Ward Project Space is an artist-run exhibition space that honors the artistic direction of individual artists without regard to commercial interests. 4WPS seeks to exhibit underexposed artists and cultivate an inclusive audience.
DAVIS & LANGDALE COMPANY, INC.
Winter Selection:
JOHNWHITE ABBOTT, NICOL ALLAN, CRESSIDA BELL, ROBERT BEVAN,RICHARD DADD, THOMAS DEWING, SHARON ETGAR, WILLIAM GLACKENS, SHEILA HICKS, GWEN JOHN, ROBERT M. KULICKE, DAVID LEVINE, EDWARD LEAR,SARANOA MARK, ROBERT OHNIGIAN, SIR WILLIAM ORPEN, ROBERT ANDREW PARKER, CHARLES PRENDERGAST, HARRY ROSEMAN,THOMAS ROWLANDSON, PAUL SANDBY, AARON SHIKLER, STUART SHILS,WALTER RICHARD SICKERT, JOHN SLOAN, ALBERT STERNER, JOHN THIRTLE, CORNELIUSVARLEY, JOHN VARLEY, ALBERT YORK
DAVIS & LANGDALE COMPANY, INC.
231 East 60 Street
New York, NY 10022
(212) 838-0333
HOURS: Tuesday - Saturday 10am to 5pm
Trestle Gallery
Introductions 2018
Opening Friday January 19, 7-9pm
On View January 19 - February 28
Trestle Gallery
850 3rd Ave, Suite 411
Brooklyn, NY 11232
DAVIS & LANGDALE COMPANY, INC.
RECENT CONTEMPORARY WORKS:
NICOL ALLAN, CRESSIDA BELL, SHARON ETGAR, SAMUEL GUILLÉN, SHEILA HICKS, SARANOA MARK, ROBERT OHNIGIAN, ROBERT ANDREW PARKER, HARRY ROSEMAN, PAM SHEEHAN & STUART SHILS
DAVIS & LANGDALE COMPANY, INC.
AUGUST EXHIBITION:
NICOL ALLAN, ROBERT M. KULICKE, JANET MALCOLM, SARANOA MARK,
HARRY ROSEMAN, ANNE RYAN, ALLYSON STRAFELLA, & ALBERT YORK
DAVIS & LANGDALE COMPANY, INC.
231 EAST 60 STREET
NEW YORK, NY 10022
http://www.davisandlangdale.com/Pages/AugustExhibition17.html
DAVIS & LANGDALE COMPANY, INC.
LOWER GALLERY EXHIBITION:
June - July 2017
NICOL ALLAN, JANET MALCOLM, SARANOA MARK, HARRY ROSEMAN, ANNE RYAN, STUART SHILS, ALLYSON STRAFELLA, & ALBERT YORK
DAVIS & LANGDALE COMPANY, INC.
231 EAST 60 STREET
NEW YORK, NY 10022
http://www.davisandlangdale.com/Pages/LowerGalleryGroupSummer17.html
The Imperceptive
June 6, 2017 to August 6th, 2017
Aaron Thomson, Adam Bush, Grace Isabell, SaraNoa Mark, Kathryn Vaughn, Kevin McCullough, Joseph, Lozano
Opening June 6th 11am - 4pm
200 Bala Ave
Bala Cynwyd, PA 19004
Meditations
April 7, 2017 to May 13, 2017
SaraNoaMark, Samantha Mitchell, Rowland Ricketts
Opening April 7th 5:30 - 8:00pm
303 Cherry Street
Philadelphia, PA 19106
Tuesday - Saturday, 10 am - 6 pm
Places Recalled
October 25 - December 24, 2016
Nina Earley, SaraNoa Mark, Darcy Schultz
All are welcome to a reception on Thursday, November 17,6:30-8:30 pm, with a talk by the artists at 7:00 pm.
Groton Public Library
99 Main Street
Groton, MA 01450
Responding to Place
June 16 -August 16, 2016
Bernard Chaet, Kim Bramhall, Ken Vincent, John Walker, AndyKarnes, Lois Dodd, Elizabeth O'Reilly, Stuart Shils, SaraNoa Mark, Wolf Kahn,James Urbaska, Rick Fox, Kathleen Jacobs, Allen Whiting, Susan Howland
Opening Reception: June 16, 6-8 pm
ConcordArt
37 Lexington Road, Concord MA
http://www.concordart.org/explore-galleries/main-galleries
Paths that cross
March 11 - April 11, 2016
Ian Barken-Ducharme, Selene Bataille, Philippa Beardsley, GregBiche, Miles Burke, Sinead Cahill, Jesse Friedman, Kathryn Hedley, Ben Jones,Will Kelly, Alyssa Kreilick, Douglas Krueger, Erick Riley Miller, SaraNoa Mark,John Mitchell, Bettina Nelson, Janice Nowinski, Celia Reisman, Lindsay Robbins,Matias Schmidt, Tiago Schmidt, Jessica Shasha, Stuart Shils, Virginia MaeSmith, Jim Strong, Tiffany Tate, Jo Weiss, Jessica Willittes, Meg Wolenski
Curated by Drew Kohler
Opening Reception: March 11, 5 pm
The Cameron Street Gallery
41 S Cameron St. Winchester, VA
Personal Space February 5 - 26, 2016
Curated by Leigh Werrell
Philippa Beardsley, Amanda Bush, Matt Colaizzo, Virginia Fleming, Julian Kreimer, SaraNoa Mark, Erin Murray, Matt R. Phillips, Giordanne Salley, Stuart Shils, Tiffany Tate
Opening Reception: February 5th 5:30 - 8:30 PM
Snyderman - Works Galleries
303 Cherry Street Philadelphia, PA
http://www.snyderman-works.com/exhibitions/personal-space
50 Shades Of Red
February 28 - March 24, 2016
Curated by Trevor Richardson, Anne Laprade Seuthe, KathleenJacobs
Opening Reception: February 28th 2 - 4 PM
Herter Art Gallery, University of Massachusettes Amherst
SUMMER EXHIBITION
JUNE 15 - SEPTEMBER 18, 2015
Artists include Nicol Allan, Lennart Anderson, Cressida Bell, Sharon Etgar, David Fertig, Samuel Guillén, Sheila Hicks, Bessie Jamieson, Kurt Knobelsdorf, Robert M. Kulicke, Janet Malcolm, SaraNoa Mark, Robert Ohnigian, Robert Andrew Parker, Philadelphia Wireman, Seymour Remenick, Harry Roseman, Pam Sheehan, Aaron Shikler, Stuart Shils, Allyson Strafella, Bill Traylor, Stuart Williams, Martin Wilner, and Albert York.
DAVIS & LANGDALE COMPANY, INC.
231 EAST 60 STREET
NEW YORK, NY 10022
http://www.davisandlangdale.com/Pages/SummerExhibition15.html