mark khaisman packing tape art

posted by the scholar on January 4th, 2008
filed under: art, mixed media

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look at these amazing works crafted from packing tape by ukraine born, philadelphia-based artist mark khaisman. these large archetypal images are made from layer upon layer of translucent packing tape, applied to plexiglass and then placed in front of a light box to give the image shadow and depth. mark is inspired by people, places and things which have a classic style to them. he believes that reinterpreting these classics, using his medium and method, transforms these iconic figures and objects into a remarkable personal experience for the viewer.

mark_khaisman_moore_college

mark_khaisman_art_let’s_not_get_into_any_more_trouble

mark_khaisman_art_now_hang_up_on_me

mark_khaisman_art_space_of_suspense_4

mark_khaisman_art_adding_zeroes

mark_khaisman_art_emily_arielle_and_helen

mark_khaisman_art_ani_and_sofie

mark_khaisman_art_tower_gallery

this conceptual idea with realistic stylings is a tad outre and quite an intriguing combination. his medium may be pedestrian, but his technique is noteworthy and the universally appealing objects and scenes that he chooses to recreate serve to create a bridge between his art and the viewer.

mark has a solo show coming up at the woodmere art museum in philadelphia. it will be held from january 27th to march 8th. please tell me if any of you are able to go and view these incredible pieces in person!

via reuben miller

tags: artist, conceptual, khaisman, layered, mark, opaque, tape, translucent

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28 Responses to “mark khaisman packing tape art”

bb Says:
January 4th, 2008 at 11:19 am
Aren’t these amazing? I saw them on Reuben Miller’s blog last night, too! I can’t imagine the patience it must take to make them…
the scholar Says:
January 4th, 2008 at 12:14 pm
hi bb,

i know! and they are very large! i wonder how he conceived of drawing with packing tape in the first place?

i really want to see these up close in person. maybe I will jet to philly on an impulse…

thanks for popping in!
sosser Says:
January 6th, 2008 at 11:52 am
truly amazing!! wish i could see them in person, too.
the scholar Says:
January 6th, 2008 at 6:55 pm
hi sosser,

two words: road trip.
Denis Says:
January 18th, 2008 at 8:41 am
amazing and very creative. Proves again that art has no limits in styles, material or ideas. Congratulations !
the scholar Says:
January 18th, 2008 at 9:07 am
hi denis,

you are right, there are no limits. i think part of the key to art being so successful is in the execution and these seem effortless and flawless. just amazing.

thanks for stopping by!
rishi Says:
January 20th, 2008 at 4:06 pm
Love it!
subcorpus Says:
January 20th, 2008 at 4:30 pm
creative beyond beleif …
RedDragon Says:
January 20th, 2008 at 4:48 pm
Truly awe inspiring to say the least!!!
Paul Pincus Says:
January 20th, 2008 at 5:46 pm
We were lucky enough to secure / purchase Alexander (first image, right) from Mark. He’s brilliant!
the scholar Says:
January 20th, 2008 at 7:07 pm
hi rishi, subcorpus and reddragon,

yes! i am so glad you managed to come through and leave a comment. mark calls his work the poor man’s stained glass. i’m still trying to figure out how he dreamed up packing tape, let alone consider the elements of stained glass!

thanks to all of you for visiting!
the scholar Says:
January 20th, 2008 at 7:08 pm
hi paul,

oh my stars - lucky you to have an original! that is terrific! i am sure you will put it in a place of honor because it is so special.

thanks for the visit and btw your blog is great!
Kristin t Says:
January 20th, 2008 at 8:55 pm
Art like this has been done before by many artists.. like Tara Donovan for example.. It’s not that far of a stretch to take a material that’s mass produced (and bad for the environment) to layer it into an image.. This guy is clearly a sexist asshole judging from his imagery. Woo hoo, yay for artists making decorative and sexist imagery.. I’m sure he will sell very well to pretentious, misogynist collectors for wall pieces that will look awesome over their sofas.
the scholar Says:
January 20th, 2008 at 9:57 pm
hi kristin,

please, allow me to play the devil’s advocate here in my response:

i acknowledge what you are saying, but don’t you think it has all been done before? nothing is new. imitation is the most sincere form of flattery (so they say) and we deal with derivative art and design in our daily lives, whether consciously or not.

now, despite all this, i hope you can see that mark’s work is very impressive and creative to anyone who was indoctrinated into the philosophy that art is comprised of a bunch of brush strokes on a canvas; unimportant, a low priority, and not much else. you may have seen this medium or technique used before in tara’s work, but unfortunately (or fortunately for you), you may be part of a exclusive minority.

i think this collection offers people a way to push out of a boxy, closed way of thinking and see that there is value in everyday objects and spark in mundane materials. i think lots of people would appreciate seeing packing tape made into contemporary art pieces than wrapped around some crushed sooty box that fedex threw on their doorsteps. to me this collection is successful because it encourages people to view the idea of art in a different way.

i actually was thinking that his work may not evoke a lot of emotion but actually as i read your comment i can see you are very passionate about it, so maybe it is successful in evoking emotion after all?

as far as the sexist images go, i don’t completely disagree. but hasn’t sexism existed since the dawn of man, across all age, race, political and professional lines? there are a few (his more recent pieces) that are provocative, but i don’t think the classic sculpture and furniture works could be classified like that.

interesting comment - thanks for sharing it with us!
Mark Miller Says:
January 21st, 2008 at 8:54 am
Dear Kristin,

The way you interpret Khaisman’s artwork reveals a lot about youself, no?
jon Says:
January 21st, 2008 at 11:46 am
kristen you’re a stupid wh()re
technabob Says:
January 21st, 2008 at 12:22 pm
Now, now. Isn’t all art open to free interpretation? Isn’t why they call it art?
irieeyes Says:
January 21st, 2008 at 4:18 pm
shouldn’t you be ironing some shirts right now?
the scholar Says:
January 21st, 2008 at 10:57 pm
oh dear, let’s try to keep it together people and not make it too personal, please!
simon Says:
January 29th, 2008 at 4:20 pm
interesting looks like it is computer generated with some filter in photoshop
Jurgen Says:
January 29th, 2008 at 8:51 pm
What an amazing beautiful art! Patience… respect!
the scholar Says:
January 29th, 2008 at 11:51 pm
hi simon and jurgen,

simon i think it looks like a computer because each painting has a light box behind it to show the layers and shadowing. tha might remind you of a monitor.

jurgen i am glad you like it too!

thanks for visiting!
Bev Says:
February 4th, 2008 at 5:53 pm
No, this art work doesn’t provoke much emotion, but it sure is interesting…thanks for sharing.
the scholar Says:
February 4th, 2008 at 10:01 pm
hi bev,

i agree with you, and thanks for stopping by!
DdK Says:
March 7th, 2008 at 5:01 pm
Very cool idea. These works are amazing. I wonder though, is there any original art. These seem to all be recreations from photographs.
the scholar Says:
March 8th, 2008 at 7:02 pm
hello ddk,

i decided to contact mark and ask this question to him directly, because i did not want to hazard a guess! here is what he said:

“Well, as you know, my technique involves layering and intersecting; while doing it I was contemplating on the layering and intersecting of universal and personal meanings and memories. People react to my tapes because it talks to them on many levels starting from the very basic level of tactile feeling – almost everyone hold this tape in their hands and is familiar with the sensation of striking a line with it. Many may almost feel it and hear the sound of adhesive being pulled off the roll. And then I build on it. I add the images, which are as familiar as the material itself. I wouldn’t call my tapes photography based; they are image based. They are about recognition: recognition of a tactile sensation, recognition of an image, recognition of a memory. They are very much play-it-again; it is the very essence of my work. When I work on the image, I try to keep it on that edge of almost falling apart, so that an eye of a viewer was given the challenge of assembling it in recognizable shape. And after the first moment of visual recognition the joy of memory recognition should come. At least that’s how I want it to be.”
sarahelizabeth Says:
March 25th, 2008 at 3:38 pm
Very interesting work. Would definitely show it in my gallery.
the scholar Says:
March 25th, 2008 at 9:22 pm
hi sarahelizabeth,

mark makes fantastic art, doesn’t he? your gallery looks gorgeous too.

thanks for stopping by!