Mark Dear is a contemporary, fine artist born and raised in South East London, Catford. After graduating from the University of East London where he studied Graphic Design and Illustration, he began working as a freelance Illustrator working with friends and brands such as Converse and music producer K-nite 13. His previous work drew reference from low-brow comix illustrators such as R.Crumb, moving forward, he would progress into more detailed and vibrate graphite pencil drawings and paintings.

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Mark’s current work often draws reference, from his love for British youth subcultures which stemmed from the West-Indian diaspora immigrating to England via the Windrush Generation. Mark was born to a Barbadian father and mother who is a 1st generation Windrush child of Jamaican heritage. Heritage plays a large part in his visual identity as a fine artist. Growing up in South London in the ’90s to the late 2000s was an impacting experience. Mark embraced the low brow cartoons and black British tv shows of that era. Music and loud statement fashion styles and the raw, unapologetic sounds of grime music left an everlasting impression on him which, he believed wasn’t being represented enough with his digital illustration works.

 

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He decided to move away from Graphic Design and Illustration, teaching himself how to paint in a graphical illustrative way still relating to his inspirations such as Ken Price, Ernie Barnes and Kerry James Marshall and many others. His current work features more figurative characters that are familiar with in the inner-city London area, His figures have a composition that is purposeful, thought-provoking with a juxtaposition of masculine and feminine symbols, Grime, Hip-Hop lyrics and cartoon-like gestures. Mark is set out on a mission as a self-taught fine artist to bring his childhood fantasies of a gritty and beautiful depiction of London to life for the contemporary art world to see.