Myth, Philosophy, Nature, Dreams at Chichester’s Oxmarket Contemporary

Mark explains: “Five years ago this March, the country locked down as the Covid-19 pandemic overwhelmed us. During the years that followed I delved into sculpture, studying online through the Royal Drawing School under the guidance of leading sculptor Marcus Cornish. I was instantly drawn towards the medium’s unique ability to capture and preserve the expression of an idea in three dimensions and to reflect upon and intervene in the world. I was hooked.

“Over the last five years I have explored the lost-wax bronze casting process to create a unique physical sculptural record of some of the ideas and philosophical thoughts contained in the allegories and writings of the past. Those ideas and thoughts that once encountered have endured in my mind. Those that continue to intrigue and inspire me, connecting with something in my psyche perhaps. Thoughts that once you have them, you carry with you and which at any time, can flare up, providing the motivation and inspiration to spend the time to unpack and express artistically.

“Walking in the West Sussex landscape has inspired many of my sculptural objects. Finding that nature often in an instant can reveal itself by colliding with my inner voice and thoughts. An interestingly shaped flint picked up from a freshly ploughed field; the trajectory of the falling autumn leaves, found objects and observations alike, acting in concert with my thoughts, pointing me towards a way of expressing artistically what’s on my mind.

“I am now excited to bring these objects together for the first time under the roof of Oxmarket Contemporary, a space with an ancient and unique story of its own and a real sense of calm, to share them with others; to see my sculptural objects sharing the space with visitors on the same terms and to see what sensations are created in the minds of those that experience them.”