Minneapolis, MN fine artist Chris Mars #artistaday

* All images used with permission. Please do not distribute without first contacting the artist.

About Chris

I learned it first from my Brother. He didn’t teach me; I watched it. They will pin a word on your chest and use it against you. They will create a word that’s excuse to take your humanity away. I saw it happen to him.

There are the voiceless, who cannot speak for themselves. These are the easiest ones to shrink down. There are words for the non-conformers, simple words that can be quickly acknowledged by those that buy in.

From my hands, my mission: To free the oppressed; to champion the persecuted, and the submissive; to liberate through revelation the actualized Self in those proposed by some to have no self at all. It’s in every single one of us, somewhere underneath that word on our chest.

In my hands, my version: All art is political in some sense, be it through conformity, reflection, propaganda or rebellion. My paintings are rallies and trials, photographs of a moment when Truth was made public, and Mercy known.

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'Minnesota'

'2008'

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"Hey is that guy sucking on a gas can? cool."

"Chris Mars needs psychiatric help!!!!!!don't purchase Chris Mars art if you have the following conditions;a family family member with alzheimer's disease, autism or dementia. people with these conditions get frightened and confused.don't purchase his art if you or a family member have depression or are being treated for depression(or are prone to depression).just looking at his creep show art can cause a depressed person to be hospitalized.also don't purchase his art if you have a child(ren) under the age of 15. children can be sensitive to certain things and we don't need anymore freaks and confused people in our society.Chris Mars and his wife both are two macarbre people- they both look like The Munsters."

"your work makes'a strong statement without words' with feelings' expressed makes' a very eloquent,sophisticated,and truthful ways' of humanity.any one would love yor input.reside in providence,r.i.acrylics'painter.my illness is a gift from god.i have been cared for 35 years'.take meds'.dual diagnosis.manic depressive/alcohol addition.sober 21 years.painting is not possible while depressed.jack mac."

"i used to paint with theams simmular to chrises art and all i got were mixed reviews becaus your narrowing your markit down to a smaller nitch .its not what most would hang in there liveing room.but i,,as an artist my self think his work is some of the best i have ever seen.not only is his qwality top notch, but his abstract humin figures and facial expressions tend to invoke menny thoughts.i love it.i wish more people would except true art like his but menny art byers are not artists them selves,left brainers with verry inside the box tastes."

"Never has anything so dark and bleak been so gorgeous. Fantastic textures, moody lighting and (in much of his work) wonderful, detailed landscapes, my favorite being the small, unusual towns that look like places you'd like to visit, but might be too nervous to."

"Best art ever"

"I am a nurse of 31 years BSN, I also am a fine artist BFA,with brush in hand Chris has visually communicated the terror,pain,limitation and fraility of the human experience.I have always imagined what the soul looks like behind the facade of the shallow flesh, Chris has created perfection of visual voice of what the world looks like to those who carry the distain, judgement and condemnation of the "acceptable" crowd. I wish for everyone to ask themselves as they aborb Chris' work, "how do I look to those who I judge and mistreat". Especially children, many people see the adult world as a circus of soul eaters. There is no trivia, there is no shock factor. this is in fact how many look underneath their makeup."

"These pictures make me sad and I think if I saw a ot more I would be compelled to contact the artist and join the mission he/she is obviously on!"

"i real like this picture"

"You find this work redundant, exploitive? Please. Read the statements, or his book. Those who have struggled with mental illness here have a voice. Shame on YOU for trivializing the artist's personal experiences. Your dismissive reaction only demonstrates for me the power of artwork generally - to generate strong opinions, to ask a viewer to question things. So what are YOU doing to make the world a better place today? Funny, the "point" of the work, as I see it, is that one should not judge prematurely, without investigation..."