Mark Leary is an award-winning photographer, filmmaker and visual artist whose practice explores the aesthetic and experiential dimensions of everyday life. Through experimental photographic and lens-based approaches, he considers how familiar places, objects and experiences can become meaningful through association, memory and perception.
His current practice-based PhD research at Falmouth University, Translating the Wave, explores how lens-based ethnography can translate aspects of the embodied and sensory experience of surfing. The research considers what might be photographed, recorded, heard, articulated or constructed around experiences that cannot be directly represented, and how photographic and moving-image practices might create conditions through which aspects of embodied experience become recognisable, imaginable or affectively understood.
Over more than twenty-five years, Mark has exhibited his work in galleries and creative spaces including The Photographers’ Gallery, London, Getty Gallery and 71a Gallery. His photographic publications include Made in China (2007) and Salt+Wax (2012), with Salt+Wax subsequently presented in various solo and retrospective exhibitions.
Alongside his fine-art practice, Mark has spent more than two decades working internationally as a photographer, filmmaker and creative director across advertising, editorial and design, producing award-winning campaigns and television commercials for clients including Nike, British Airways, Mastercard, IKEA, Visa, Cadbury, EE, The Guardian and T-Mobile. His work has received awards from D&AD, Cannes Lions and the Association of Photographers.
Mark is a PhD researcher at Falmouth University and Module Leader for the MA Photography (Online) at Arts University Bournemouth. He previously led the BA Photography programme at Bournemouth University. He holds an MA in Photography with Distinction and a Postgraduate Certificate in Higher Education.
“With his unique colour palette and beautiful lighting, Mark creates a familiar, almost nostalgic feeling to his subject.”
Aine Donovan, Associate Producer, BBH London
“Mark's imagery is dreamlike... His images convey universal concepts of wonder, adventure, exploration, living in the moment and mindfulness.”
Guy Merrill, Global Head of Art, Getty
Available for lectures on request.
Exhibitions include -
'Salt+Wax' retrospective solo exhibition - The Station Gallery, Frome [2024]
'Salt+Wax' retrospective solo exhibition - ROMA Gallery, Falmouth [2023]
‘Suddenly Last Summer’ group exhibition - Arts University Bournemouth [2019]
‘Lucid’ group exhibition - Arts University Bournemouth [2019]
'Undertaking' solo exhibition - Various galleries, London [2017-18]
'They Made This' group exhibition - Protein Studios, London [2017]
'Summer Art Show' group exhibition - Old Bakery Studio, Truro, Cornwall [2016]
'Getty 6x6' group exhibition - Getty Gallery, London [2015]
'Getty Gather' group talk & presentation - London [2014]
'They Made This' group exhibition - BBH Gallery, London [2014]
‘Retrospective’ solo exhibition - BBH Gallery, London [2014]
'Salt+Wax' solo exhibition - 71a Gallery, London [2012]
'Salt+Wax' solo exhibition - London Surf Film Festival, London [2012]
‘Fish Fry’ group exhibition - Coombe Barton, Cornwall [2011]
‘Black Dog’ group exhibition - AMV Gallery, London [2010]
'Made in China' book launch - The Photographers' Gallery, London [2008]
Publications include - Made in China [2007]; Salt+Wax [2012]
Awards include - AoP; Campaign Press & Poster; Cannes Lion; Cornwall Film Festival; Creative Circle; Creative Review; D&AD; IPA; London Surf Film Festival; One Show USA; Taylor Wessing Portrait Award...
Clients include - Ambrosia; Adidas; Avis; Barclaycard; Blacks Outdoor Specialist; British Airways; British Gas; British Telecom; Brother; Cadbury; Cornwall Pure Business; Creative Circle; Finisterre; FRANK; Google; The Guardian; Harper Collins; Hewlett Packard; HMRC; HUCK magazine; Kelly's Cornish Ice-cream; KFC; IKEA; LG; The London Surf Film Festival; Mastercard; Mute Records; Nike; O'Neill; 02; Orange; Panasonic; Penguin Books; Random House; RBS; Reebok; The Ride Journal; Saga; Scoot; Shell; Sony; The Surfer's Path; Syntegra; T-Mobile; Typhoo; Vans; Visa Commercial; World Trade Centre; Yacht Associates; Yahoo...
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