Nicolas Tarr is one of The East End’s most versatile artists and fearless when it comes to experimenting with new technologies and inventing new ways to create unique two and three dimensional artwork. His latest piece, 50 Book Matches, is a "Scanograph” and is currently on view at the 47th annual Springs Invitational at Ashawagh Hall in Springs, N.Y. Tarr’s art was selected for inclusion in the annual invitational exhibition which highlights artists from the Springs and greater Hamptons.
The 47th Annual Springs Invitational opens on August 1 and continues through August 17 at Ashwagah Hall, 780 Springs Fireplace Rd, Springs, NY 11937. Tarr's work is also available for viewing by appointment.
Scanograph Art
50 Book Matches is a refinement of the "Xerography" started back in the 1970's when the Xerox corporation created a machine which could copy printed documents in seconds. Soon artists to turn these fixed focus, super shallow depth of field VW Bug sized copiers into one ton art toys. Forty years later, they are called scanners, fit comfortably on your desk and send a digital image directly to your computer. With some modification, it becomes possible to create valid and exciting works of art using this technology. This Tarr has done.
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"50 Book Matches" by Nicolas Tarr, 2014
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Photo Constructions
Tarr's Photo Construction Series, "Amelie", captures both reflected and actual images simulatenously without Photoshop gimicry.
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From the "Amelie" series by Nicolas Tarr.
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Documentary Photography
Icescape; Promised Land is part of a 20-year video and photography documenation of the Menhaden fishery at Promised Land in Amgansett, NY.
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"Icescape; Promised Land" by Nicolas Tarr. Photograph.
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Tarr also documented the three-year restoration project of the Montauk Playhouse through the eyes of a Montauk resident. Combining documentary photography with fine art, the series "Dereliction to Redemption" captures an unexpected and haunting beauty of a former cultural icon laid bare by time and neglect.
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"Montauk Playhouse in Winter" by Nicolas Tarr. Photograph.
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Optically Illusory Boxes
As a sculptor, Nicolas Tarr explored his unique brand of highly-acclaimed optically illusory boxes. Designed to create a narrative and complex world within a box, the optically illusory boxes contain collected objects, mirrors and other materials that are carefully selected and placed for optimal effect when viewed from a central portal, allowing viewers to enter these magical worlds.
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"Pandoran Alter" by Nicolas Tarr, partial interior view. Mixed media.
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Nick got his creative start early on, working with his father, sculptor William Tarr, on large commissions for the City of New York, like this memorial for the Rev. Martin Luther King located at 122 Amsterdam Avenue at 66th Street in New York City.
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Memorial for Martin Luther King, 1973. Steel, weathering, 28 x 28 x 28 feet. Courtesy Nicolas Tarr.
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BASIC FACTS: Nicolas Tarr's scanograph 50 Book Matches is on view at the 47th Annual Springs Invitational from August 1 - 17, 2014 at Ashawagah Hall, 780 Springs Fireplace Rd, Springs, NY 11937. www.ashawagh-hall.org.
One of Tarr's photographs from the "Dereliction to Redemption" series is on view at the Water Mill Museum as part of the East End Photographers East "Summer Celebration" on view through August 11, 2014. The museum is located at 41 Old Mill Road, Water Mill, NY. www.watermillmuseum.org.
Tarr's work is also available for viewing by appointment. For information, email [email protected].
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