Marcus Menefee is an interdisciplinary artist and photographer born in Hot Springs, Arkansas to a family of painters and sculptors. He is currently located in Memphis, Tennessee where he recieved his BFA from Memphis College of Art. His work is influenced by cultural traditions of the surrounding areas as he explores themes of irony, identity, and manipulation. Marcus has exhibited work across Arkansas and Memphis in group shows at the Circuitous Succession, Taylor’s Contemporanea, No Exit Gallery, Rust Hall Gallery, Brode gallery, and Gallery 409.
Short Haul
Marcus Menefee’s current work is motivated by an exploration into his own identity, memory, and upbringing. Through documenting the cultural traditions of his surroundings and its people he analyzes his southern upbringing. He is drawn to the professions and ideals that have been carried over through several generations and how those professions have shaped the individual. This fascination inspired him to begin photographing the short haul truckers of Hazen, Arkansas. He was fortunate enough to be able to ride along with several of these truckers throughout the semester as they worked, in doing so capturing their routines as they started and ended their day. He focused on capturing fragments of the drivers, such as a hand gripping the steering wheel, a glove dropped on the ground, or the drivers back as they unrolled a tarp so that he could speak to the larger whole of the trucking community rather than just a few individuals.
To view more of Marcus’ work please visit his website.