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A Little Piece of Heaven - 2006
Site specific installation
Grass sod 10' x 12'
Commissioned by David Liss for the 3 person exhibition entitled The Tree Museum 2006: Responding to Nature
Diane Borsato, Kelly Mark, Peter Von Tiessenhausen
The Tree Museum, Gravenhurst, Ontario
Photo credit: Anne O'Callaghan for the Tree Museum

"Toronto artist Kelly Mark has no intention of visiting the site at any point. In fact, Mark's initial response to the invitation to participate in the project was emphatically negative. During that phone conversation with David Liss, the artist stated emphatically that she despised the outdoors, rural environments and any thing and any activity associated with nature such as insects, dirt, inclement weather, swimming in lakes, etc, and any situation that lacks a full complement of domestic amenities, utilities, appliances and facilities.

Working in a wide range of media, Mark's highly conceptual, and often humorous and ironic works, are usually intended to critique or highlight many of the lesser acknowledged absurdities that often underlie the most banal and habitual aspects of human behavior. In this case, and quite antithetical to the natural beauty of the area, Mark has instructed the exhibition curator Liss to plant and maintain a highly manicured section of grass, in scale and appearance approximating a typical residential lawn, amidst the rough landscape of the site - a near impossible task." - David Liss