Mark Shetabi

(Philadelphia)

Mark Shetabi is a Philadelphia-based multidisciplinary artist and educator. His works often explore issues of travel, nostalgia, and icons of traditional Americana. Similar to his series of 'Camper' sculptures, 'The Rapture' is a recreation of a landmark of the American highway. However this gas station and convenience store, cleanly rendered in shades of gray, sits atop a pedestal that contains a bomb shelter, into which one can peer through a small peephole. This aspect, combined with the inclusion of the shadow of a passing jetliner cast on the gas station canopy, imbues the piece with a tangible anxiety and instability. Shetabi describes this sculpture as a 'model of low-level paranoia built into the fabric of everyday life.',