Mark Firth was born in Britain in 1952. He spent a year as Drawing Resident at the Glyptotek Museum, Copenhagen (1970-71), before studying mechanical engineering at the University of Birmingham (1971-72). He then changed from engineering to art and studied at Camberwell School of Art (1972-76) and at the Slade School of Art, University College, London (1976-78). On leaving art school…
read the full biography
Mark Firth was born in Britain in 1952. He spent a year as Drawing Resident at the Glyptotek Museum, Copenhagen (1970-71), before studying mechanical engineering at the University of Birmingham (1971-72). He then changed from engineering to art and studied at Camberwell School of Art (1972-76) and at the Slade School of Art, University College, London (1976-78). On leaving art school Firth won a travel scholarship to Japan where he spent a year absorbing Japanese culture, visiting factories where work was done by robots, and teaching English to children. He made some work in bamboo, but was not under pressure to create works of art. On returning to Britain he started teaching in a number of art schools including Camberwell where he remained for four years, initially with Norman Dilworth, running a welding course and a construction workshop. He decided in 1984 to work full-time as an artist and set up his first studio with David Kanern - they still share facilities in Deptford, although are now located in a different studio.
Fascination with engineering, the sciences, physics and the history of scientific phenomena remain concerns in Firth's work. His earlier pieces carried images, painted or drawn by hand in a resist medium directly on to the aluminium or steel sculpture before being etched - images derived from cuneiform texts, and writings linked to the history of science. He experimented with lasers and with holograms, working towards combining purer forms which are scientific both in nature and content. Gradually he has simplified his forms, milling and turning basic cuboids into all manner of shapes, assembled in many different combinations. He claims not to be a systems artist, but treads a path that is only a hair's breadth distant.
Mark Firth has exhibited his work regularly in Britain and Europe, with occasional shows in Canada and the United States. His sculpture is in numerous public and private collections internationally.
