Oliver Mark (born 1963)[1] is a German photographer and artist known primarily for his portraits of international celebrities.

Oliver Mark
Mark in Venice
Born1963 (age 60–61)
OccupationPhotographer
Websiteoliver-mark.com

Work

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Jenny Holzer photographed by Oliver Mark 
Jenny Holzer, Leipzig 1996. Silver gelatin print on Alu Dibond. 151 × 154 cm (59 × 61")

In the 1990s, Mark began photographing celebrities. He made portraits of public figures including actors. His personal interest lies in contemporary artists and their creative world.[2]

He works with both a single-lens reflex camera and an old, 680 Polaroid. The instant photos produced by the Polaroid reveal Mark's familiarity and closeness to the subjects he portrays.[3]

In addition to his portraits, Mark regularly engages in independent projects. In the series Natura Morta (2017), he photographed confiscated objects from the evidence room of the Federal Agency for Nature Conservation. These items, mostly falling under species protection regulations, were originally intended as souvenirs before being seized by customs authorities. Mark presents these objects in a way that emphasizes their allure, only to evoke stronger repulsion from the viewer.[4][5] The series was exhibited in 2017 in two parts at the Paintings Gallery of the Academy of Fine Arts Vienna and the Natural History Museum in Vienna.

Personal life

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Mark is the father of two sons and lives in Berlin.[6]

Publications

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  • Portraits. Hatje Cantz, Berlin 2009, ISBN 978-3-7757-2484-5.[7]
  • With Martina Schellhorn: Heimat verpflichtet. Märkische Adlige – eine Bilanz nach 20 Jahren. Brandenburgische Landeszentrale für politische Bildung, Potsdam 2012, ISBN 978-3-932502-60-6.[8]
  • Oliver Marks Blick auf Liechtensteins Staatsfeiertag. Alpenland, Schaan 2013, ISBN 978-3-905437-34-8.[9]
  • Außenseiter und Eingeweihter. [Outsider and Insider] Hatje Cantz, Berlin 2013, ISBN 978-3-7757-3756-2.[10]
  • Aus den Trümmern kriecht das Leben. [From the rubble crawls life] b.frank books, Zürich 2013, ISBN 978-3-906217-00-0. (with poems by K. O. Götz)[11]
  • Oliver – Nutte Künstler Fotograf. Die ganze Wahrheit über Oliver Mark. [Oliver – hooker artist photographer. The whole truth about Oliver Mark] Grauel, Berlin 2014.
  • Natura Morta. Kehrer, Heidelberg 2016, ISBN 978-3-86828-759-2.
    (with texts by Barbara Hendricks, Rainer Vollkommer, Philipp Demandt, Julia M. Nauhaus, Michael Schipper, Aurelia Frick, Christian Köberl, Lorenz Becker)[12]
  • Bucovina Monastery Life. Liechtensteinisches Landesmuseum, 2018, ISBN 978-606-8698-29-8. (with texts by Rainer Vollkommer, Constantin-Emil Ursu, Teodor Brădăţanu)
  • No Show. Distanz, Berlin 2019, ISBN 978-3-95476-281-1. (with texts by Carolin Hilker-Möll, Christoph Peters, Georg Maria Roers SJ, Michael Schipper)

Solo exhibitions

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Installation views from the exhibition Natura Morta in the Paintings Gallery of the Academy of Fine Arts Vienna and the Natural History Museum, Vienna, 2017

Collections

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Mark's work is held in the following permanent collections

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References

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  1. ^ "Oliver Mark". Hatje Cantz. Retrieved 3 June 2023.
  2. ^ "Oliver Mark Portraits | Portraitfotografie". fotografr.de (in German). 24 November 2009. Retrieved 13 October 2018.
  3. ^ "Fotograf Oliver Mark: Prominente auf Polaroid". Die Zeit (in German). Retrieved 13 October 2018.
  4. ^ Lindhorst, Peter (31 May 2017). "Oliver Mark - Natura Morta". Peter Lindhorst (in German). Retrieved 17 September 2024.
  5. ^ "Natura Morta". Akademie der bildenden Künste Wien (in German). 27 April 2017. Retrieved 17 September 2024.
  6. ^ "Oliver Mark - kunstgebiet.ruhr". kunstgebiet.ruhr. Archived from the original on 22 September 2018. Retrieved 13 October 2018.
  7. ^ Hatje Cantz. "Oliver Mark | Fotografie | Hatje Cantz Verlag". Retrieved 17 September 2018.
  8. ^ "Bücher | Brandenburgische Landeszentrale für politische Bildung – Heimat verpflichtet" (in German). Archived from the original on 17 September 2018. Retrieved 17 September 2018.
  9. ^ Liechtenstein National Museum. "Liechtenstein National Museum". Retrieved 17 September 2018.[permanent dead link]
  10. ^ Hatje Cantz. "Oliver Mark | Fotografie | Hatje Cantz Verlag". Retrieved 17 September 2018.
  11. ^ "Oliver Mark – Aus den Trümmern kriecht das Leben by b.frank". Archived from the original on 28 August 2018. Retrieved 17 September 2018.
  12. ^ "Der Fotoband Natura Morta ist in der Asservatenkammer des Bundesamtes für Naturschutz entstanden und erinnert an die Bedeutung der Artenvielfalt – Kehrer Verlag" (in German). Retrieved 17 September 2018.
  13. ^ "Bilder der Ausstellung '7 Artist And 1 Nude' von Oliver Mark". Rolling Stone (in German). 8 September 2011. Retrieved 14 October 2018.
  14. ^ "Oliver Mark – Portraits". Kunstverein. Retrieved 22 September 2018.
  15. ^ "Heimat verpflichtet. Märkische Adlige – eine Bilanz nach 20 Jahren. von Schellhorn, Martina u. Oliver Mark.: Potsdam Brandenburgische Landeszentrale für politische Bildung 9783932502606 – Antiquariat Maralt". zvab.com. Retrieved 14 October 2018.
  16. ^ Museum, Liechtenstein National. "Liechtenstein National Museum". llm.li. Retrieved 14 October 2018.[permanent dead link]
  17. ^ a b "Kunstsammlungen Chemnitz – , INFORMATIONEN ZUR AUSSTELLUNG". kunstsammlungen-chemnitz.de. Retrieved 14 October 2018.
  18. ^ "Liechtenstein National Museum". Liechtenstein National Museum. Retrieved 13 October 2018.
  19. ^ "Naturhistorisches Museum Wien – sonderausstellungen". nhm-wien.ac.at. Retrieved 13 October 2018.
  20. ^ "Natura Morta – Gemäldegalerie der Akademie der bildenden Künste Wien" (in German). Retrieved 17 September 2018.
  21. ^ "Ausstellungsdetail" (in German).
  22. ^ "Art Faces – Artist Portraits in the Würth Collection" (PDF). Retrieved 7 February 2019.
  23. ^ "Expoziţia de fotografie "Celebrităţi" l-a adus, la Suceava, pe artistul fotograf german Oliver Mark. El a donat Muzeului Bucovinei una dintre lucrările sale". NewsBucovina (in Romanian). 26 October 2017. Retrieved 15 October 2018.
  24. ^ "Spiritualitatea profundă surprinsă în expoziţia "Bucovina – Mănăstirile trăiesc" a artistului fotograf Oliver Mark, vernisată la Muzeul de Istorie din Suceava în prezența autorului". NewsBucovina (in Romanian). 11 November 2018. Retrieved 19 November 2018.
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