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 Artist Mark works under the name Mark Sarmel. Mark’s work often deals with diverse people and cultures. By mixing mythologies from numerous cultures and re-presenting them in a hybrid form he seeks to reflect the multicultural 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 paintings have 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 refute the negative perceptions of BIPOC and present them as heroes.
CV
Graduate of the College for Creative Studies - Illustration Major.
2024
Art Fair Detroit - Art Clvb - Group Exhibition
El Paso Frame Co - The One With All the Squares
Two James Tasting Room - Group Show
Vault of Midnight - Los Demonios Amigos - Solo show
Vault of Midnight - Hunters - Solo Show
2023
Playground Detroit - Comm[unity] II
Keep Contemporary - The New Vanguard: Explorations into The New Contemporary V
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
Thinkspace Gallery and Booooooom - Seeing Red Group Show
2018
TEDx Detroit Labs - Live painting
2017
Atom Art - Mythography - Solo Show
Conserva - Mythography - Solo Show
Innerstate - 1X RunPrint Release
Gallery 1988 - Crazy 4 Cult 11 Group Show
Dirty Show 18 - Group Show
2016
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 - Group Show
2015
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 - Group Show
2014
Guzu Gallery - Children of the 80’s - Group Show
Ltd Art Gallery - Fantasy in the City - Group Show
2013
Bottleneck Gallery - Group Show
Ltd Art Gallery - Saturday Morning Cartoons - Group Show
Contemporary Artists from the USA - Imago Mundi - Publication
2012
323 East - Apocalypto: An End of an Era - Group Show
Red Bull House of Art - Group Show
1Xrun - Print Release
A Fung Mans Fancy - Art Zine Publication
2011
Beautiful Decay - Publication
Paper Science - Publication
2010
323 East - Flesh, Fur and Fantasy - Group Show
Microsoft - DEMF - Live Painting
2009
Dirty Show 10 - Group Show
Lulubell Toys - Group Show
2008
Dirty Show 9 - Group Show
2007
Dirty Show 8 - Group Show