Mark Beattie is an emerging sculptor who lives and works in London. We had the pleasure of seeing a collection of his work in person at The Other Art Fair 2016.
After graduating from the European Arts Practice MA course at Kingston University he continued to study different metals, looking at ways to manipulate and add movement to the material. He has also been developing ways in which neon or LEDs can compliment his sculptures, adding to the movement of a piece and catching the viewers eye.
In 2015 he was elected a member of The Royal British Society of Sculptors. His work has been exhibited throughout the UK in over 20 shows; including locations like Burghley House (Lincolnshire), Great Fosters Hotel (Surrey) and Jean-Luc Baroni Gallery (London). Over the past 5 years he has also had the honour of exhibiting alongside some of the worlds finest artists, including Helaine Blumenfeld, Jonathan Yeo, Tracey Emin and the late Lynn Chadwick.
I had the chance to talk to Mark about his career so far, and find out more about his artistic practise.
How did you become involved in creating art?
I’ve been making art from a very early age. My Mum and I would have ‘Art Club’ on Friday nights where we would paint, draw or sculpt for hours. I’ve been lucky enough to grow up in a household where creativity has always been encouraged and so I followed my passion through to studying art at The University of Leeds and then an MA at Kingston University.
To what extent are fluidity and movement fundamental aspects of your sculpture?
I love the challenge of taking a metal and making it appear fluid and malleable. Adding movement to a material is so important for my sculptures to work; I enjoy pushing the material to the point that it wants to kink or bend.
At The Other Art Fair we were particularly struck by your sculptures – how long have you been incorporating neon and LEDs?
I started to introduce light to my sculptures just over a year ago. My first light sculpture was Neon Orb, which is now owned by M Restaurants on Victoria Street in London. The sculpture was shown for the first time at The Other Art Fair in April 2015 and the feedback I received was incredibly positive.
How would you describe the emerging art scene in London?
I would say the London art scene is exciting, challenging and competitive. There are so many artists trying to ‘make it’ in London which makes it very difficult to get your work out there and noticed. I graduated from my MA in 2012 and I’m still pushing my work and finding ways to gain more exposure.
Have you got any future projects / plans lined up?
I have a number of exciting exhibitions opening in May; one at Burghley House in Lincolnshire and another at The Garden Gallery in Hampshire. I’m also working on a number of commissions as a result of The Other Art Fair so I’m busy developing new work, which is great!
– Harry Dougall
To see more of Mark’s work, visit his profile on ArtAttack App! GB link below or just search ‘ArtAttack – Share Sell Network’ on App Store:
https://itunes.apple.com/gb/app/artattack-share-sell-network/id1051315058?mt=8
For more information on the artist:
artattackapp.wordpress.com 