Mark Sarmel is a multi-disciplinary creative making totally rad work.


Bio

Mark Sarmel is the not-so-secret-secret identity of Mark Moreno. He has worked as an Illustrator and designer since graduating from the College for Creative Studies. As a designer he has worked with major brands such as Ford, Chevy, Alfa Romeo, Jeep and more. He’s also rocked out with brands like JBL and even found some time to design games with Shinola. His design work is highly detailed, rigorously researched and most of all, eye catching.

As an Illustrator Mark works under the name Mark Sarmel. Mark’s work often deals with diverse people and cultures. By mixing mythologies from differing societies and re-presenting them in a hybrid form he seeks to reflect the world he sees around him. This imaginary world is filled with characters that are at first atypical, but ultimately analogous to the real world. He seeks to present these characters in heroic portraits that act as spirit guides for the viewer.

Mark’s recent illustration work has revolved around the term Mythography, which refers to the visual depiction of myths. In this body of work Mark uses bright, bold colors and fluid line work to give a glimpse into an alternate universe to our own, one that is filled with multicultural characters inspired by ancient mythology, modern anthropology, music, fashion and comic books.

Mark’s work has been featured in numerous galleries including Thinkspace, Innerstate Gallery, Gallery 1988, Bottleneck Gallery, Guzu Gallery, and the Red Bull House of Art.


Artist Statement

I like heroes. I grew up reading about them in comic books, later I read about them in greek mythology and later still I read about them in science fiction books. Heroes are often idealized depictions of man, but far too often they are depicted as only white. In my work I seek to use portraiture as a foundation to re-contextualize the perception of BIPOC and present them as heroes.


CV

2023

Playground Detroit - Comm[unity] II

Elephant Room Gallery - 6th annual 12x12 show

Rosalux Gallery - Open Door 18

BLK WHT GRY Gallery - Print Box Show

2022

Elephant Room Gallery - 5th annual 12x12 show

2019

Seeing Red Group Show - Thinkspace Gallery and Booooooom

2018

TEDx Detroit Labs

2017

Solo Show - Atom Art - Mythography

Solo Show - Conserva - Mythography

Print Release - Innerstate

Group Show - Gallery 1988 - Crazy 4 Cult 11

Group Show - Dirty Show 18

2016

Group Show - Gallery 1988 - Crazy 4 Cult 10

Group Show - Gallery 1988 - Thirty Years Later

Group Show - Guzu Gallery - Strange Beasts 3

Group Show - Innerstate Gallery - Detroiters

Group Show - Scarab Club - The Printer’s Devil

Group Show - Dirty Show 17

2015

Group Show - Gallery 1988 - Crazy 4 Cult 9

Group Show - Guzu Gallery - High Scores

Group Show - Guzu Gallery - Untitled

Group Show - Innerstate Gallery - We Have A Dream

Group Show - Dirty Show 16

2014

Group Show - Guzu Gallery - Children of the 80’s

Group Show - Ltd Art Gallery - Fantasy in the City

2013

Group Show - Bottleneck Gallery

Group Show - Ltd Art Gallery - Saturday Morning

Print - Imago Mundi - Contemporary Artists from the USA

2012

Group Show - 323 East - Apocalypto: An End of an Era

Group Show - Red Bull House of Art

Print Release - 1Xrun

Print - A Fung Mans Fancy - Art Zine

2011

Print - Beautiful Decay

Print - Paper Science

2010

Group Show - 323 East - Flesh, Fur and Fantasy

Live Painting - Microsoft - DEMF

2009

Group Show - Dirty Show 10

Group Show - Lulubell Toys

2008

Group Show - Dirty Show 9

2007

Group Show - Dirty Show 8