MARK LYON

Mark Lyon is a photographer whose work explores the relationship between the banal and the otherworldly. His photographs transform seemingly ubiquitous spaces and transport the viewer into new and unfamiliar territories.

Often photographing in everyday spaces that may typically be overlooked, the artist’s attuned gaze transmogrifies familiar terrain. Through his lens, these familiar spaces are transformed into a surreal locale.  His most recent series Bay Views examines self-service car washes and their adjoining landscapes. Unexpected beauty is revealed in the most surprising of places, due to the artist’s thoughtful approach. The doorways of these interior spaces act as windows to the concealed landscapes in the surrounding horizon. Typological in nature, each image is carefully considered and can take months or even years to come to fruition pending the location’s environment. By removing any trace of human presence in spaces that are designed for interaction, the photographs convey a sense of uncanny stillness that provoke deeper contemplation.  

Lyon was born in Rochester, NY in 1979. He holds a MAAS in Studio Art from SUNY New Paltz and has previously studied at the School of Visual Arts. The artist’s work has been widely exhibited throughout the United States. He was awarded the Photographers’ Fellowship at The Center for Photography at Woodstock, was featured in Photolucida’s Critical Mass Top 50, and was a runner-up for the Aperture Portfolio Prize. His work has been featured in a variety of notable publications including The New York Times, The New Yorker, and Popular Photography. Lyon’s work is included in the permanent collections of the Beinecke Rare Book & Manuscript Library at Yale University and the Samuel Dorsky Museum of Art in New Paltz, NY. The artist lives and works in Upstate New York.