Bio/Exhibition History
Mark Esper was born and raised in Dearborn, Michigan, where he honed his art skills, building and flying radio controlled model airplanes and working on old cars.. He has a BA in sculpture from Eastern Michigan University. In New York City, he has worked as a cabinet maker and an art fabricator for among others, Dennis Oppenheim and Beth B.
A true renaissance man, Mark Esper marries modern technology with traditional art materials and techniques. The work is not only interactive, it is experiential, drawing the viewer into its orbit. No other artist has had as many solo exhibits at Dam, Stuhltrager. Mark Esper- Williamsburg's art scene hero- draws crowds and press accolades from The Village Voice to Artforum. The legacy... With two exhibits under his belt, it was Esper's third turn at Dam, Stuhltrager that made history. 3 separate galleries held simultaneous solo shows in a unique, unified effort to support one talent. This effort focused attention on the caliber of Esper's artwork rather than on individual venues and symbolized the excitement surrounding this artist. Esper continues to be a driving force behind Dam, Stuhltrager's success.
Recent Highlighted Exhibitions
2008
TWO MACHINE POEMS, Rupert Ravens Cont (Newark, NJ)
2007
NEW REVOLUTION, Cont Istanbul (Istanbul, Turkey)
ENLIGHTENMENT, Rupert Ravens Cont (Newark, NJ)
ENLIGHTENMENT & IT’S IN THE AIR, Coachella (Indio, CA)
ENLIGHTENMENT #2, Bridge Art Fair (Chicago, IL)
RETROSPECTIVE, solo show at Dam Stuhltrager (Brooklyn,NY)
2006
JARRY ROAD & CIRCLE OF FRIENDS, Cont Istanbul (Istanbul, Turkey)
JARRY ROAD & CIRCLE OF FRIENDS, Grendel (Miami, FL)
PENTATONIC ORRERY, NJ Arts Council (Newark, NJ)
IT’S IN THE AIR, Artbot (New York, NY)
IT’S IN THE AIR, Supreme Trading (Brooklyn,NY)
ON THE JARRY ROAD, -scopeNY (New York, NY)
2005
SECOND ORRERY, solo exhibit at Dam, Stuhltrager (Brooklyn, NY)
GATHERED VOICES, NJ Arts Council (Newark, NJ)
CIRCLE OF FRIENDS, Artbots (Dublin, Ireland)
REVOLUTION & A STORM CELLAR, The Tank (New York, NY)
2004
GIZMOLOGY: 1 ARTIST in 3 GALLERIES:
ENLIGHTENMENT, Dam Stuhltrager (Brooklyn, NY)
GATHERED VOICES & 2973, Front Room (Brooklyn, NY)
ORRERY & IT’S A DANGEROUS WORLD, Naked Duck (Brooklyn, NY)
2003
LRG CIRCLE OF FRIENDS & REM / FORG #2, solo exhibit at Dam, Stuhltrager (Brooklyn, NY)
2993 & REM / FORG, Greenhouse Projects (Brooklyn, NY)
REVOLUTION, Front Room (Brooklyn, NY)
2002
PENT ORRERY & A CIRCLE OF FRIENDS, solo exhibit at Dam, Stuhltrager (Brooklyn, NY)
Education
BA from Eastern Michigan University, Ypsilanti, MI
Selected Press
"Art: Hot to Bot " review by Robert Shuster, Village Voice, Feb 13 '07
"Critics Pick " review by David Velasco, Artforum Jan '07
"Esper: Review Panel" moderated by: David Cohen,
Greg Lindquist, Jennifer Riley, Stephanie Buhmann, Loren Munk, Art Critical Jan '07
"Top Ten Anticipated Exhibits of 2007" by William Hanley, ARTINFO Jan 3 '07
“Contemporary Istanbul”closing segment of pr video for Cont Ist, Dec ‘06
“Art Basel Miami: Offbeat Highlights” review by by Margery Gordon, Artinfo, Dec 13 ‘06
“Top Ten Miami Beach” review by Gae Savannah, NYArts, Nov/Dec ‘06
review by James Kalm, Brooklyn Rail, Oct '05
Dateline Brooklyn by Stephen Maine, artnet Magazine Oct 4, '05
Williamsburg Crawl by James Leonard, news/culture blog, Sep 13, '05
Review by Barry Hoggard, bloggy.com, Oct 03, '05
"The Art Crawl" by Keane Pepper, freewilliamsburg.com, Oct '04
"Mark Esper" by William Powhida, Brooklyn Rail, Oct '04
"The Art Crawl" by Keane Pepper, freewilliamsburg.com, Oct '03
"Mark Esper", by William Powhida, billburg.com, Summer '02