Marc Newton is an artist based in Binghamton, NY. For most of his adult life, Marc has lived in Asheville, NC and Savannah, GA. Though these southern cities are known for their immense natural beauty and contemporary significance in art and culture, his influence grew from the city’s integral reliance on ecotourism. His work plays off this intersection of consumerism and nature as he investigates where paradise is found, and how it is created.
His work has been included in solo and group exhibitions both in the U.S and abroad including: Bradford Washburn American Mountaineering Museum, Georgia Museum of Contemporary Art, Center for Photographic Art, New Space Center for Photography, and is currently in a traveling group exhibition with fotofilmic.com. He earned a Bachelors of Arts from Brevard College (NC), during this time he also studied anthropology at Griffith University (QLD Australia). He earned his MFA in Photography from The Savannah College of Art and Design (GA) where he also worked as a staff photographer. Currently, Marc currently works as the Photography Specialist/Digital Media Technician at SUNY Binghamton.
Visions of pristine landscapes and ideas of paradise confront and manifest myths of perfection, comfort and immortality. The illusive entity can exist differently from culture to culture but is typically stimulated by romantic images and associations of nature. Utopic residential landscapes and shopping mall garden vistas offer a guided tranquil experience. Though nature is often the face of paradise, symbolism and consumerism can dictate its accessibility.
Photographs of nurseries located in Homestead, FL, Phoenix, AZ, and Vista, CA show tropical and desert plants grown for commercial, wholesale, and personal inquiries, which also supply the United States with exotic plants for aesthetic purposes. Having roots in biblical ideology the palm tree is a timeless symbol of warmth, and inspires modern associations with paradise. With this in mind, I explore its junction with consumerism. The photographs of these nurseries serve to highlight the culture of plant cultivation and their endless physical beauty, but also to address a tangible interpretation of paradise.
To view more of Mark’s work, please visit his website.