I strive to create art that resonates with the depths of the heart and mind,
Mark Rathinaraj is an artist whose soul is rooted in the experiences of the tradition of culture of his hometown, the memories which he carries forward in his visual art making of painting and drawing. Having developed a signatorial style, his canvases and drawings commands immediate recognition to his works. Born in T. Palur, a village near the temple town of Kumbakonam, he had his art education at Kumbakonam College of Fine Arts, where he graduated with a degree in Painting in 1990. Mark's work is strongly influenced by the works of K. M. Adimoolam and the Madras Art Movement. The human form maintains the semblance of physicality without dissolving into abstraction of lines and colours.
In the oeuvre of Mark, there is a strong attraction towards tradition.
A tradition interpreted through his contemporary sensibility, reinventing it and opening space for the reading of new semantic and metaphors. Hence the various classical and folk-dance traditions have been interpreted uniquely. In an impressionistic style of descriptive and subjective brush strokes, he has successfully captured the mood and dynamism of the movement of the dancers, musicians or of native sports. Transitioning across dimensions, Mark's latest works on sculpture breathe life into his artwork on canvas.
The kinetic energy driving his art derives from classical dance forms such as Bharatanatyam, Kathakali, Kuchipudi, and folk dances like Therukoothu, Karakattam, Bhangra, as well as martial art forms like Kalari and Yoga - the ancient Indian science of wellness and well-being. He captures the mood and feelings of these performers and players in striking action. In his current works, the concept of power and energy becomes the driving force, displaying the resilience, strength, and endurance of the human body in various demanding activities, requiring not only physical strength but also mental discipline. His abstract vocabulary is based on the dynamic interplay between expressive gestures and sculpted color shapes, with skeletons of expressive gestures complemented by the flesh of colors.
While tension exists between line and color, Mark's formal concerns, particularly the dynamic dialogue between positive and negative spaces, are evident. Playing with the concepts of presence and absence, the dynamic tension between fullness and emptiness makes his works not only compelling but also strategically structured. Mark lives and works in Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India.
SOLO SHOWS
- 2018 Asian Art Gallery, Boston, USA
- 2017 Focus Art Gallery, Chennai
- 2016 Pitanga Art Gallery, Pondicherry
- 2014 Asian Art Gallery, Boston, USA
- 2012 Focus Art Gallery, Chennai
- 2011 Artexpo, New York, USA
- 2011 Focus Art Gallery, Chennai
- 2010 Art Singapore, Suntec City, Singapore
- 2010 Archana Gallery, Malaysia
- 2009 Gallerie Fort Zuid, The Netherlands
- 2009 Point of View Art Gallery, Mumbai
- 2008 Vinnyasa Premier Art Gallery, Chennai
- 2007 Point of View Art Gallery, Mumbai
- 2007 Academy of Fine Arts, New Delhi
- 2006 Lakshana Art Gallery, Bangalore
- 2006 Lakshana Art Gallery, Hyderabad
- 2005 Little Italy, Chennai
- 2004 Taj Fisherman’s Cove, Chennai
- 2004 Vinnyasa Art Premier Gallery, Chennai
- 1999 Chola Sheraton, Chennai
SELECTED GROUP SHOWS
- 2016 Annual New England Gala 2016, Boston, USA
- 2014 8th Annual New England Gala, Boston, USA
- 2014 18th Annual Boston International Fine Art Show
- 2014 Ninth Annual Chicago Gala, Chicago
- 2013 New England AIF Gala, Boston, USA
- 2013 Asian Art Gallery, Boston, USA
- 2010 Art Aids Show' The Sheraton, Chennai
- 2010 Southern Scape', Singapore
- 2010 Shrishti Art Gallery, Hyderabad
- 2009 Apparao Art Gallery, Chennai
- 2008 Point of View Art Gallery, Mumbai
- 2008 Athreyaa Art Gallery, Chennai
- 2008 Apparao Art Gallery, Chennai
- 2007 Prakrit Arts, Mumbai
- 2007 Karnataka Chitrakala Parishath, Bangalore
- 2007 Vinnyasa Art Premier Galery, Chennai
- 2006 Musuem Gallery, Mumbai
- 1994 Ovia Nun Kalai Kuzhu, Chennai
- 1992 Ovia Nun Kalai Kuzhu, Chennai
- 1991 Trinity Group Show, Trichy
- 1987 Group Show, Vellore