Mark J. Snyder

Mark Snyder is a sculptor and performance artist born in upstate N.Y. He spent several years studying at the Rochester Institute of Technology's School of the American Craftsman before receiving his undergraduate degree from Alfred University in 1996. He completed his MFA in the University at Buffalo's Visual Studies and Emerging Practices program in 2014. [1]

Snyder’s artworks have been shown throughout the United States, his art and writings have been published in Leonardo magazine and the online journal Big, Red and Shiny, and his documentary photos have been published worldwide. The artist has also received complimentary reviews from the Boston Globe.

Snyder’s work includes both public and private performances exploring such issues as masculinity, the bonds between fathers and sons, and the body. He has also created a number of sculptural works in which he has modified the engines of cars and trucks. In describing one of his pieces, the artist had this to say about his aesthetic:

“The loud voices of self-doubt inside my head can sometimes only be drowned out by the brash screaming sound of a motor on the edge of destruction. Speeds nearing annihilation push away the world so that there is only me. And as I repeatedly tempt and creep upon death, destroying all those things that would have at me, I achieve a calm that lasts at least for a short time.” [2]

For more information on Mark Snyder, visit http://www.marksnyderart.com/.

[1] Biographical information adapted from Mark J. Snyder, "About," http://www.marksnyderart.com/about.html. (Accessed 9/3/2014)

[2] Mark J. Snyder, "Artist's Statement," http://www.marksnyderart.com/galleries/2014DDD/. (Accessed 9/3/2014)