Mwahrk or Mark Schmeitz is a dutch artist that tries to be autonomous while doing commercial work. The work is as free as possible within the rules of a pre-defined structure. He graduated in 2018 from LUCA School of Arts with a BA in Graphic Design. Ever since then he has been working with individuals, organizations and companies to further develop our visual culture and to please the eyes and minds of the general public. He also shouldn’t use so many complicated words and vague references. So he draws and makes stuff that you can see on screens and paper.
“This comes down to colorful images and compositions that I hope are somewhat memorable. What I make is very personal but I always attempt to make it accessible to the general public. My process usually starts in an analog fashion. I work with markers and all sorts of drawing materials on paper. Secondly, there will be a digital process, scanning the drawing, editing, or adding color. The thing I’m doing has to visually interest me and this is what leads me through making the image. I have a very broad interest in things like art and philosophy and otherworldly matters. Even though my work never really touches upon these subjects I feel like it is important to be aware of what is going on around me.
I studied Graphic Design in Belgium, where I learned to manipulate images. Whether it was screen printing or video editing my fascination went out to anything that dealt with image making. Throughout art school I always made drawings and these sort of turned into a recognizable style. It’s somewhere between figurative and abstract. Having a certain way of doing things helps myself and others understand what it is that I’m making.
As I said, there is always the involvement of a computer in my process. Analog media go into a scanner and tangible things like pigments, inks, and papers get translated into photographic information that can be edited once more. It is the digital space that my images found their audience. As a member of the internet generation sharing things online was something I perceived as exciting because the internet allows the whole world to influence local phenomena and vice versa. The relation to this vast stream of lights and influence that is coming down on us as individuals every day is changing I think. Retaining a part that is private, sheltered, and unexplainable is vital in understanding ourselves and others.”
Instagram @mwahrk