MARS, Tanya

Cheers or Tears for Humanity
Saturday October 12, 7 pm
630 Queen Street East

A performance in two parts, Cheers or Tears for Humanity delves into some big questions about the current state of the world and asks you to weigh in. Are you optimistic or skeptical about the future? What do you think about AI, crypto, recycling? Do you think we will be able to affect change? Over the course of the festival Mars will have conversations with people about their views, one-on-one or in small groups. At the end of the festival, after she has tabulated the results of the survey, she will share them with you during a high-energy Ted-Talk-esque reveal.

Tanya Mars is a feminist performance artist who has been actively involved in the Canadian art scene since 1973 doing many different things. She has lived and worked in Quebec, Ontario and Nova Scotia. Since the ’70s Mars’ work has focused on creating spectacular feminist imagery that places women at the centre of the narrative. Since the mid-’90s her performances have included endurance, durational and site-specific strategies. Her work is political, satirical and humorous. She has worked both independently and collaboratively to create both large-scale as well as intimate performances in Canada and internationally. Ironic to Iconic: The Performance Works of Tanya Mars, was published in 2008 by FADO, edited by Paul Couillard. She is the recipient of a 2008 Governor General’s Award in Visual and Media Arts. Recently retired from teaching at the University of Toronto Scarborough, Mars lives off-grid in Nova Scotia. She has one daughter and 3 grandsons.

Homage to Hannah Wilke and Virginia Woolf
Saturday, November 7 8 pm
DeLeon White Gallery, 455 King St W

Curated by Paul Couillard and Louise Liliefeldt as part of Pousse-Café
Presented by Mercer Union

Once again Mars tips her hat to feminist history to create an ironic commentary on the sorry state of “woman’s place” as we approach the millennium.

Tanya Mars is a multidisciplinary performance and video artist who has been active in the Canadian art community for over 25 years. Her work conflates contemporary feminist and political issues with traditional performance art aesthetics to provide spectacular feminist imagery. She currently teaches at the University of Toronto Scarborough and St. George campuses. She divides her time between Toronto and Shelburne, Nova Scotia where she gardens avidly.