Mass #17

To purchase this item framed, please add both the print and the framing option from the drop down menu. The artist has chosen custom hand built Black Ash Floating Frames for the series Mass. With this option, the print comes face mounted behind Museum Grade non-glare 1/8" plexi, with a backing of 3/16" plexi. The frame face measures 1/2" by 2" deep with the art floating 3/8" from the frame edge, creating a clean look that focuses on the art yet finishes and protects the piece. The frame adds 7/8” to each side of the piece. Please feel free to email the studio with any questions.

Here, we witness the ultimate balancing act, survival. Thomas Card’s large-scale photographic series “Mass” reveals the continual struggle of modern society through the perilous configurations of 40 white mice with piercing red eyes teetering upon a ledge. Alluding to the compositions of the great Phillip Guston, the anxiety-inducing scenes of mice fighting to survive against the cold cruel neutral backgrounds instigate visceral responses in viewers about their position within each of their own communities.

 

Inspired by the blinding red brake lights of New York City’s infamous traffic congestion, for Card, the red eyes of the mice become symbols of the human desire to congregate in search of love and protection. However, the fragility of our society is called into question. How quickly does our perception of society transform from sure-footed and stable to wavering upon a precipice? The subtle biblical allusion to the precarious nature of the number 40 hints at the rise and fall of civilizations. The tension mounts as mouse climbs over mouse, interlock their tails, and plant themselves among the chaos.

 

The gazes of mice catch ours, implicating us in this treacherous dance. The struggle between fear and desire as humanity approaches its role in society takes on the form of visual poetry. Card’s viewers are forced to confront their own connection to their rapidly growing cities, the part they play as a member of their own community, and what choices they will make as part of the mass.

Thomas C. Card is an American artist based in New York. Card has always seen the world through the lens of art, questioning how to elevate the most simple and mundane aspects of life into their most aspirational state. And similarly, how to make the most fanciful and whimsical elements communicate their most profound meaning. Underlying Card’s work you will find mathematical formulas and symbolism that draw on scientific theories and art history alike.

 

Born in Johnson City, Tennessee and raised in Decatur, Illinois, Card rose out of the rough and tumble industrial environment through his achievements in art. Card’s work gained national attention even before graduating from high school, landing him a scholarship to the School of Art at Washington University in St. Louis. Within a short time after graduation, Card had already developed a reputation as a master printer working for top photographers in New York City. By the age of 23, his own work was published in international magazines.

 

Card’s large-scale landscape photographic collages, entitled “Alone Together,” form the central focus of his most theoretical work. With this work, Card uses the single image as a mark playing with repetition, sequencing, context, and tonal values to create complex layers of coded meaning. By repeating the print images in collage form, the role of the singular image changes, no longer solely functioning as an isolated representation but rather a part of a larger meaning. The image continues to convey a singular meaning, but enhanced by a contextual meaning, further enhanced through sequencing and finally through repetition. The form and pattern emerge with balance and assigned values, all referencing historical norms, while playing with new context and symbols.

 

Card’s first book and multi-media show, “Tokyo Adorned,” explores the expression of individuality and self through intimate studio portraits of Tokyo’s fashion tribe members. Work from this sold-out book has been seen in multiple shows across the country. Tokyo Adorned received high praise from major media outlets, and Card was interviewed repeatedly regarding his process and experiences surrounding the book and the show.

 

Card has been featured in numerous international publications including American, German and French Vogue, Harper's Bazaar, the London Sunday Times, Vogue Gioiello and the New York Times Magazine. His sense of beauty, wit, and whimsy permeates his style of storytelling and can been seen in his collaboration on numerous advertising campaigns including Gucci, Ferragamo, Issey Miyake, Baume & Mercier, Marc Jacobs, Apple and more.