Mark Beyer

I ordered this book to the library a while ago. Finding out about Mark Beyer's comics and artwork has made a big impact on me. Everything he makes seems to be entirely his own, and comes from a place that has a feeling of true originality.

Beyer's work appeals to me in terms of its aesthetics, and the bizarre tone of voice, but I'm also drawn to the work because it is shrouded in a fair bit of mystery and is boiled down to a few commissioned projects he has pursued over the years. I enjoy the work because it doesn't seem to be about commercial success, but more about authenticity. 

He also did a few animated shorts for Liquid Television, which was aired on MTV in the 90's. The short was called 'Thomas and Nardo'.

The odd exhibition or project carried out by Beyer was most likely done not only because he was willing to create artwork for that purpose, but the client must have been interested in what he does.

'Mark Beyer: With/Without Text' (2013) was the first Mark Beyer retrospective, which exhibited Tom Wagner's personal collection of his artwork. The show featured early self-published books, objects including trading cards, dolls, as well as silkscreen prints, plexiglass paintings, posters, and magazine covers.

Beyer was also a common contributor to Art Spiegelman's comics anthology RAW magazine, his work being featured in nearly all of the issues.

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Escape Magazine Interview [link]

With/Without Text - Mark Beyer Exhibition notes [link]

Outsider Art Now - Mark Beyer [link]