Mark Yang
Bio: Mark Yang (born 1994, Seoul, South Korea) immigrated to Los Angeles with his family when he was nine years old. He earned his BFA from Art Center College of Design (2017) and his MFA from Columbia University (2020). He had his first debut solo exhibition at Steve Turner, Los Angeles (2021) and recent group exhibitions include Steve Turner, Los Angeles (2020); Thierry Goldberg Gallery, New York (2020); CP Projects Space, New York (2019) and Ki Smith Gallery, New York (2019).
Thesis Exhibition
Artist Statement: Mark Yang creates paintings that incorporate formal concerns relating to color, line and composition while addressing his fascination with the human body and its relationships. In depicting nude male bodies in close proximity–wrestling, grappling and contorting–Yang aims to convey an aspect of male intimacy that is omitted in American culture. In doing so, he connects his work to art historical forbearers–Greek vessels, Eakins, Muybridge, and Bacon. While there are many categories within identity-based contemporary art, the one irreducible category is the body. Despite differences of ethnicity, nationality, belief, gender and sexual orientation, everyone has a body. Starting with this basic understanding, Yang adds his vision of the male body to the history of art.
L to R: Artic (62.5" x 77.5", Oil on canvas, 2021); Sand Bond (52" x 64", Oil on canvas, 2021); Serpent's Flame (52" x 44.25", Oil on canvas, 2020); Suspension (72" x 54", Oil on canvas, 2021); White Day (72.25" x 60.25", Oil on canvas, 2021)
