AURAS, 2024, Acrylic and Gold Leaf on Wood Panel, 30 x 40 in.
With a career spanning over five decades, Mark Steven Greenfield has dedicated himself to addressing racial inequities and exploring the diverse experiences of Black Americans. Greenfield’s paintings examine Black identity, reframing historical narratives, and celebrating Black femininity. Inspired by traditional Byzantine iconography, Greenfield imbues his subjects with the reverence and attention typically reserved for religious figures, effectively recording the history of leaders, folk heroes, and everyday individuals who have often been overlooked from the prevailing record. Each artwork carries deep layers of meaning, inviting viewers to reflect on their own assumptions and biases while gaining a greater understanding and appreciation for the rich tapestry of Black experiences and narratives.
A native Angelino, Mark Steven Greenfield studied under John Riddle and William Pajaud at Otis Art Institute in a program sponsored by the Golden State Life Insurance Company. He received his Bachelor of Art (B.A.) in Art Education in 1973 from California State University, Long Beach, and a Master of Fine Arts degree (M.F.A.) in painting and drawing from California State University Los Angeles in 1987. From 1993-2011, Greenfield worked for the Los Angeles Department of Cultural Affairs as director of the Watts Towers Arts Center and later as director of the Los Angeles Municipal Art Gallery, Barnsdall Park. He was a visiting professor at the California Institute of the Arts (Cal Arts, 2013). Greenfield’s work has been exhibited extensively throughout the United States, most notably at the Monterey Museum of Art in Monterey, the Museum of Art and History in Lancaster, and the California African American Museum in Los Angeles. Internationally, he has exhibited at the Chiang Mai Art Museum, Thailand; Art 1307, Naples, Italy; the Blue Roof Museum, Chengdu, China; 1333 Arts, Tokyo, Japan; and the Gang Dong Art Center, Seoul, South Korea. His work deals primarily with the African American experience, and in recent years, he has focused on iconography and historical figures of the African diaspora. He is a recipient of the L.A. Artcore Crystal Award, Los Angeles (2006), Artist Laboratory Fellowship Grant (2011), the COLA (City of Los Angeles Individual Artist Fellowship, 2012), the California Community Foundation Artist Fellowship (2012), the Instituto Sacatar Artist Residency Fellowship in Salvador, Brazil (2013), the McColl Center for Art + Innovation Residency in Charlotte, North Carolina (2016), and the Loghaven Artist Residency in Knoxville, Tennessee (2021). The William Turner Gallery in Santa Monica, CA, currently represents him.
