Mark Lewis

A filmic artist, Mark Lewis is drawn to minimalism and the cinematic avant-garde of the ‘60s and ‘70s. Known for his silent, single-length unedited rolls of 35 mm film, Lewis has played with spatial discontinuity through the layering of spaces and zoom manipulation. Time is central in such works, which illuminate a single, uninterrupted moment. More recently, Lewis' work has begun to reference classical portrait painting, a shift from his characteristic landscape pieces.

In Rear Projection (featuring actress Molly Parker), a recent film, Lewis makes use of his footage of Algonquin Park - a classic Canadian landscape which he shot during the fall and winter –to act as the back projections behind his subject's portrait. The spatial dislocation created calls to mind Renaissance portraiture, where the key figure inhabits the foreground and a vast landscape is inserted as the backdrop.

Northumberland (2005) is in keeping with Lewis's earlier films. Divided into a distinct foreground, middle ground and background, this piece illustrates the spatial layering typical of Lewis's work. The film begins by slowly tracing the top layer of a stone wall. Behind this wall of varied shapes is the middle ground, with a sparse scattering of fir trees. Extending beyond the middle is a far-away landscape. The closeness of the wall, which almost acts as a main subject or figure, contrasts with the far-away landscape to create a superimposed effect characteristic of rear projection and again referencing portrait painting techniques of the Renaissance.

Born in Hamilton , Ontario , Mark Lewis now lives and works in London , England . He is the co-editor and co-founder of the international art journal 'Afterall' ( London , Los Angeles ), and principal researcher in fine art at Central Saint Martins College of Art and Design, London . His work has been shown internationally, including France , Spain , Sweden , the U.K. and the U.S

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Mark Lewis