![[Work by Mark Newport]](/lib/img/artwork-marknewport.jpg)
Artist Statement
What makes a hero? How does action or inaction define a person? How do these relate to common ideas of masculinity? These questions form the basic foundation for the hand knit super hero costumes I have been working on since 2003. These costumes combine personal protective gestures like hand knit sweaters and the public image of the hero from comic books to explore how we understand the heroes in relation to male and female social roles and expectations. The prints, photographs and performances each expand these ideas by placing the costumed hero in situations that explore his daily life, super powers and real or imagined circumstances.
The Art the Vote project presented an opportunity for me to contribute to the election process in a way that grows from my own personal and artistic concerns.
Selected Collections/Awards
The Whitney Museum of American Art, 4Culture, Seattle; The Racine Art Museum, Fundacion Coleccion Jumex, Ecatapec, Mexico, Microsoft Corporation, Redmond, WA, Nowhere Ltd., Tokyo, Japan, Progressive Insurance/ Creative Capital Foundation, Arizona Commission on the Arts, Herberger College of Arts at Arizona State University.
Links
www.gregkucera.com/newport.htm
www.asuartmuseum.asu.edu/newport/
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