Weekly Artist Feature | Mark Thomas Gibson

Mark Thomas Gibson is an American visual artist and educator based in Philadelphia, who primarily uses the forms of drawing, painting, and books. Born and raised in Miami, Florida, Gibson often uses a blend of comic book-style imagery, sharp social commentary, and surrealism in his paintings and drawings. His art deeply engages with American history, pop culture, and the ongoing struggles surrounding race and identity.

Gibson’s work mostly features a distinct black-and-white palette, though his recent work incorporates vibrant colors to emphasize certain themes or figures. His style is heavily influenced by graphic novels and cartoons, allowing him to blend humor with serious cultural critique. Gibson says he uses elements of caricature and the comic form “to mock and invert power relations” in works that reflect and record a shared understanding of contemporary political and social events.

‍

‍Highlights:

• He has released two artist’s books: 'Early Retirement' (2017), featuring over 200 pen-and-ink drawings, and 'Some Monsters Loom Large' (2016).
• He teaches painting at Temple University’s Tyler School of Art and Architecture, and he earned an MFA from the Yale School of Art and a BFA from The Cooper Union for the Advancement of Science and Art.
• Gibson was awarded a 2022 Guggenheim Fellowship from the John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation, New York, NY and a Louis Comfort Tiffany Biennial Grant from the Louis Comfort Tiffany Foundation, New York, NY.
• His most recent solo exhibitions were 'Whirligig!' at Sikkema Jenkins & Co. and A Retelling at MOCAD, both in 2023.
• He has a new exhibition, “Lineage” which opened on October 15 at The Library Company of Philadelphia, located at 1314 Locust Street, Philadelphia, PA 19107.
• Click the links to learn more about Mark Thomas Gibson and his work here and on social media.

‍

‍

• Gibson is one of four artists featured in “This Life:  Black Life in the Time of Now”, a virtual exhibition presented by the Miami Museum of Contemporary Art of the African Diaspora (Miami MoCAAD), which will be available in app stores soon.
• He was also the featured artist for the Artist Conversation | Miami MoCAAD Watch Party hosted by Miami MoCAAD and Barnes Foundation last June 4th, 2024.

‍