RISE by Henley Festival Emerging Artist Prize 2026 - Runner Up

Mark is an abstract figurative artist based in London. He works with acrylics on canvas to produce paintings that explore modern masculinity, often – but not exclusively – through a queer lens. 

Particular themes of interest are bravery, playfulness and vulnerability. He invites the viewer to reframe their understanding of what it is to be male and vulnerable today. With his figurative work he creates a space where the modern male is free to inhabit an almost childlike state, both removed from the expectation to be toxic and encouraged to let down his defences.

In his Pimlico studio, Mark tends to work quickly and organically. He often starts with something resembling chaos on the canvas. Wonderful, messy and unpredictable. From there emerge landscapes or intimate spaces. He then brings the piece into focus, often using figures from found imagery or photographs he’s taken of models.

Denser layers of paint, mark-making and embracing what could be considered mistakes are all essential to his process. He finds that deviations from his intended line or composition produce his most exciting and painterly work.

Ultimately, he’s interested in producing works that show modern masculinity in a more nuanced, less structured light. 

His interest in abstraction led him to enrol in Sash Agar’s Abstract Painting class at Morley College of Art. Later, he joined City Lit’s Contemporary Painting Studio under the tutelage of Lucinda Oestreicher where he began to discover his creative voice and the confidence to start honing his style. 

Career highlights so far include The Other Art Fair, a pride show called Threesome at Proposition Studios, the Tom Cox Gallery Open, several exhibitions with Adorn The Common and his first solo show LOOKING OUT/LOOKING IN at Espacio Gallery.  

Outside of painting, mark has two decades of acting experience under his belt. He draws from his theatre and film work when he paints, trying to carry the actor’s prerogative to play, experiment and dare into every piece he creates. His acting work is all about story-telling and he hopes that his paintings help the viewer to experience their own story, be it a trip into themselves or beyond to another world.