Mark Allen: Quantity, Eventually, is Quality

Abstract

A good way to understand the work of artist Mark Allen is to imagine a squirrel with an M.F.A. Over his 30-year career, his project has been to take apart and put back together various institutions: the museum, the United States Postal Service, the DMV; shops, cafes, parties, college classrooms, theaters, and more. The subjects in the end are always transformed (if a bit chewed on). As founder of Machine Project, Allen produced over 2,000 events in 15 years, working with the Hammer Museum, LACMA, the Walker Museum, the Getty Center, and others globally, before closing the organization in 2018.

Since then, he has been engaged in an expansive mail art project. As of today, he has sent 8,230 pieces of art to family, friends, artists, collectors, and curators worldwide. The scope of the mailings includes: oversized abstract postcards, accordion-folded Valentines featuring sexy frogs, books of poetry, a 1980s JCPenney catalog with the models swapped out for monsters, and a three-sided piece of paper. His most recent publication combines experimental typography and the linguistics of swear words and can be seen in the exhibition SLANG at No. 31 Gallery and other venues in Scotland.

Biography

Mark Allen

Mark Allen is a former curator, occasional graphic designer, profligate mail art sender, and professor of art at Pomona College.