Mark Beattie MRSS

Mark Beattie MRSS is an award-winning sculptor who lives and works in London.

In 2015, Mark won the Midlands Open, the Xerxes Sculpture Prize and was elected a member of The Royal Society of Sculptors (MRSS). In 2017 Mark was shortlisted for the Open Contemporary Young Artist Award run by the Biscuit Factory gallery in Newcastle, shortlisted for the international Rise Art Prize and long-listed for The Secret Art Prize by Curious Duke Gallery in London.

Mark creates abstract sculptures using various metals which range in size from miniature to monumental. Each sculpture is unique and finished in a way that is sensitive to the material. From an early point in his career, Mark was fascinated with circles; the harmony and unity they offer features in almost all of his early works. He explains "I think we are drawn to circles; contoured lines are softer than straight and an easier form for the eye to settle on. In my work I strive for perfection, a balance between the physical material and the negative space." Over the last 10 years, since graduation, Mark has developed a signature style through which his sculptures contain movement and fluidity.

In 2015, Mark introduced light to his work. For Mark, it was important for the addition not to be a departure or a change in direction, but for the new material to complement his work by adding more energy and movement to his sculptures. He goes on to explain "There’s an energy in neon light and not just the current running through the glass, but I see a positive energy which I hope will transfer to the viewer and create some tranquillity even if just for a second. A moment of reflection, meditation almost, away from our busy lives. I enjoy the idea of colour theory and through this work I probe the essence of what we deem light and colour to do and mean. When I start making a sculpture, I’m aware that colours can act as an emotional directive for the observer but I’m comfortable leaving the viewer to draw their own conclusions, satisfied with the knowledge that my work can transcends culture, religion and background."

Mark has a strong academic background in art, having studied a BA Hons (International) in Contemporary Art Practice at Leeds University and more recently an MA in European Arts Practice at Kingston University, Surrey. To date he has now exhibited in over 70 exhibitions, solo and group, and has a strong following from collectors both in the UK and abroad.