Mark Prent

Mark Prent (born Poland, 1947) is a Canadian sculptor and performance artist currently living in the United States best known for the graphic realism of his figurative sculpture. Prent's sculptures have been described as disturbing and even brutal. His work was the subject of a 1972 lawsuit in which a gallery, exhibiting one of his works consisting of a butcher’s counter of human body parts, was charged with “exhibiting a disgusting object”. Prent was the subject of the 1976 documentary "If Brains Were Dynamite [You Wouldn't Have Enough to Blow Your Nose] - Mark Prent"

Mark Prent works consist of life-moulded mixed media, polyester resin and fiberglass casts of human models in sometimes disturbing poses and juxpositions. Mark Prent has consistently maintained throughout the years, that his sculptures and installations do not carry intentional messages. Despite the powerfully grotesque imagery that he has employed, interpretation is left to the viewer. Prent developed his own unique technique of layering to give a heightened realism to his figures; thus giving rise to the label "Extended Realism". When he later became concerned about the toxicity of polyester resin, he began to experiment with other materials, developing innovative techniques for recreating that trademark quality of virulent realism. This venture into new materials led him in many new directions in his own work and ultimately, to become a technical resource for other artists as well.

Born in Łódź, Poland in 1947, Prent came with his family to Canada in infancy, and grew-up in Montreal. He was educated at Sir George Williams University in Montreal, earning a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree. In 1983 he relocated with his wife to Vermont (U.S.A.). Since his public career began in 1970, Mark Prent has had thirty-one solo exhibitions, including the Stedelijk Museum in Amsterdam, the Academy of Arts in Berlin and the Musée d'art contemporain de Montréal, as well as participating in an extensive list of group exhibitions. He has been the recipient of numerous awards including many Canada Council Senior Arts Grants, the Guggenheim Foundation Fellowship, the Ludwig Vogelstein Foundation Fellowship, and Art Matters. He was made a member of the Royal Canadian Academy of Arts.

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