ARTS PORTFOLIO
.8 INSTALLATIONS with PROJECTIONS
SILENT POWER
SILENT POWER examines the acquisition, maintenance and furtherance of personal power as exercised in social interaction.
The work constructs paradigmatic scenarios centered around various cultural areas (work, family, relationships etc.) in which the underlying contradictions of contemporary social life are underscored.
Central to the work is the examination of choices, decisions and judgments made in situations of crisis and the extent to which these situations force us to accept or re-evaluate standard social models.
“Mark’s multimedia installation, “Silent Power” (1991) is an outstanding exhibition in both its visual intensity and intellectual fervor. The work forces the viewer to grapple with many of today's most controversial issues; war, incest and rape, amongst others. While some artists may approach viewers with these issues by depicting them representationally or by using metaphors, “Silent Power” demands viewer interaction. Aside from the intellectual appeal of his work, South African, Mark is a highly skilled photographer and his images are powerful enough to stand alone.
He relentlessly brings power from an abstract concept to a practical level where the viewer must exercise free will to choose an answer to the question posed.
Rarely has audience participation been so visceral. Mark reworks simple statements such as “Money is bad. Money makes wars. Money buys food. Money is good, “ as a consummate politician would. Such statements remind us that the dichotomy of good and evil is transient and that words can equal power.”
Alexis Patton, The Journal, Washington D.C.