XENIA
XENIA
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Residency dates

27th October – 24th November 2023

Mark Jackson

Artist images

Residency images

Coming Soon

Testimonial

"The countryside opens up as soon as you arrive at Xenia, and you’ll see a host of wild animals and rewilded land, farm animals and people devoted to them and the landscape.
There’s a sheer abundance of nature. One time after the rain, I glimpsed a herd of deer in the woods, birds of prey catching air currents, hares springing out over paths, baby cows, alpacas, ponies and horses. The autumn leaves, silvery-golden light, and high blue skies evoked a wilderness, even though it's one that’s carefully nurtured. To share this resource with artists is a humble and generous gift from devoted patrons, and I can see how much this gift means to those who have visited the residency before me, and to the other residents I was lucky enough to share my time with here. The impact is significant and transformative.
My paintings shifted a little at Xenia. By all accounts, the light is the same as any other light, but here I was able to turn it into something else, something that I’d never captured before. I'd loosely had the idea of working with a drawing of the sun and its reflection, something I'd made years ago, back in 2003. Diagrammatic and conceptual, the motif had struggled to find its place in my paintings over the years, in spite of my best attempts. But there was something about a new pace to the day, unrushed, a calmness and openness, that encouraged a free flow of thought. The city wouldn't let the drawing in, but at Xenia, it grew into the paintings almost by itself. That such a thing can happen, I think, stands testimony to the magical environment at Xenia, and I know the work I've made here will spring out a new body of work over the coming years.
I can't thank the entire team enough for the invitation and the hospitality. I've had such a wonderful time. Your support for artists is kind and open, and exactly what our art world needs for the community to thrive. With a deep gratitude and appreciation, long may Xenia continue."

Bio

Born

1976,

Nottingham, England,

Biography and Other Information

Mark Jackson lives and works in London. He received a BA(Hons) in Fine Art from Loughborough University in 1998, and his MA (with Distinction) in Fine Art from Chelsea College of Art & Design, London in 2006. He worked exclusively as part of the collaboration with Jackson Webb from 2003 - 2010.

His first solo exhibition, face Is the closest, was held at Block 336, London in 2017. More recently, turtles all the way down, his second solo exhibition, was held at OHSH Projects, London in 2023. He’s participated in many group exhibitions nationally and internationally, most recently in TERRA, curated by Jenn Ellis and Emie Diamond, across historic sites in Burgundy, France.

Mark also curates and writes on artists such as Rita Ackermann, and more recently interviewed Richard Aldrich for Turps Magazine, 2024.

Mark Jackson paints surreal, dreamlike scenes that range from speculations on the future of human existence to improbable tableaux of musicians with resurrected Ancient Egyptians, to works that are narratively unhinged and remain elusive. Being experimental in nature, with both material and subject, clarity is often just beyond reach.

For more information about Mark, please visit his website here: www.mrkjcksn.com

Residency dates

27th October – 24th November 2023

Mark Jackson

Artist images

Residency images

Coming Soon

Testimonial

"The countryside opens up as soon as you arrive at Xenia, and you’ll see a host of wild animals and rewilded land, farm animals and people devoted to them and the landscape.
There’s a sheer abundance of nature. One time after the rain, I glimpsed a herd of deer in the woods, birds of prey catching air currents, hares springing out over paths, baby cows, alpacas, ponies and horses. The autumn leaves, silvery-golden light, and high blue skies evoked a wilderness, even though it's one that’s carefully nurtured. To share this resource with artists is a humble and generous gift from devoted patrons, and I can see how much this gift means to those who have visited the residency before me, and to the other residents I was lucky enough to share my time with here. The impact is significant and transformative.
My paintings shifted a little at Xenia. By all accounts, the light is the same as any other light, but here I was able to turn it into something else, something that I’d never captured before. I'd loosely had the idea of working with a drawing of the sun and its reflection, something I'd made years ago, back in 2003. Diagrammatic and conceptual, the motif had struggled to find its place in my paintings over the years, in spite of my best attempts. But there was something about a new pace to the day, unrushed, a calmness and openness, that encouraged a free flow of thought. The city wouldn't let the drawing in, but at Xenia, it grew into the paintings almost by itself. That such a thing can happen, I think, stands testimony to the magical environment at Xenia, and I know the work I've made here will spring out a new body of work over the coming years.
I can't thank the entire team enough for the invitation and the hospitality. I've had such a wonderful time. Your support for artists is kind and open, and exactly what our art world needs for the community to thrive. With a deep gratitude and appreciation, long may Xenia continue."

Born

1976,

Nottingham, England,

Biography and Other Information

Mark Jackson lives and works in London. He received a BA(Hons) in Fine Art from Loughborough University in 1998, and his MA (with Distinction) in Fine Art from Chelsea College of Art & Design, London in 2006. He worked exclusively as part of the collaboration with Jackson Webb from 2003 - 2010.

His first solo exhibition, face Is the closest, was held at Block 336, London in 2017. More recently, turtles all the way down, his second solo exhibition, was held at OHSH Projects, London in 2023. He’s participated in many group exhibitions nationally and internationally, most recently in TERRA, curated by Jenn Ellis and Emie Diamond, across historic sites in Burgundy, France.

Mark also curates and writes on artists such as Rita Ackermann, and more recently interviewed Richard Aldrich for Turps Magazine, 2024.

Mark Jackson paints surreal, dreamlike scenes that range from speculations on the future of human existence to improbable tableaux of musicians with resurrected Ancient Egyptians, to works that are narratively unhinged and remain elusive. Being experimental in nature, with both material and subject, clarity is often just beyond reach.

For more information about Mark, please visit his website here: www.mrkjcksn.com