Micro-Monumental, Mark Jessett
8th to 22nd January 2022
private view: 7th January 5:30-8:00pm
open Wednesday-Saturday 12:30-5:30pm
Free entry
Micro-Monumental is an exhibition of large and small works on paper by Mark Jessett.
Mark Jessett is a painter who works with acrylic on paper, rarely using brushes. Overlaying paint in very fine films, his work explores the relationship between colour, surface texture, translucency and opacity. The feel of Mark’s work is guided by an appreciation for painting and illustration styles that he has have loved from a young age. His work is imbued with the flavour of magical imagery, folkloric artefacts and representations of the esoteric.
Rather than delivering a narrative, Mark’s paintings reflect the innocent sense of immersion and intoxicating atmosphere of an engaging story. Mark’s Rock paintings stem from earlier abstract explorations of mineral-like forms, but are searching for greater simplicity and a clearer celebration of the relationship between the paint and the paper’s surface. This is coupled with a new-found willingness to let recognisable forms appear in the work.
Mark believes that paper speaks more directly than canvas, and his work juxtaposes the delicate and sometimes restrictive nature of working on paper. Testing the possibilities of scale and paper, he will be showing his largest piece to date, measuring 2.5 x 3 metres.
Contrasting some of the ‘macro’ pieces in the exhibition, Mark’s ‘Token Paintings’ are a collection of small 15cmx15cm paintings, made to be accessibly priced, so wealth is not the key to ownership and inclusion. Seen together, the paintings speak of profusion and vibrancy, like an exploded version of the larger works. The viewer is invited to consider the individual pieces within the whole, to find their favourite. Each painting is a small moment in itself, to be discovered and chosen. A purchase limit of four works per person applies, to maintain the democratic spirit of the piece.
Mark is a Fine Art graduate of Goldsmiths’ College. Recent group exhibitions include ‘Your Foot in My Face’ in London and ‘Kite Circus’ in Sheffield, along with numerous solo shows in the south west. Mark was awarded a DAN Emerging Artist Bursary in 2018 and has recently been commissioned by Hospital Rooms to make a site specific work for Torbay Hospital mental health unit. He is a founding member of N-E-W, a contemporary art group that stages exhibitions and art events in Ashburton, Devon, where he lives and works.
​
​
