Mark Lyon: Bay Views

May 4 - June 12, 2016

The artist’s reception will be held Wednesday, May 4th from 6-8pm.

In his new series, Bay Views, Mark Lyon reveals unexpected beauty in the most unusual setting: the American car wash. Sixteen urban locations in different stages of function are captured with existing unaltered light at night. Lyon considered each image for days and sometimes years to capture each setting at exactly the right moment, day and season without a person in sight. This thoughtful approach to photographing this series in the decisive moment creates distinctive images in contrast to our current world, which is saturated with spontaneous imagery.

Bay Views depicts the shifting balance of interior and exterior light, transforming these secluded industrial spaces and creating a window into something beautifully unfamiliar. Out of context itself the car wash bay frames the view of the world outside its doorway. Creating something public and private at the same time, the viewer is initially unaware that there is more than one bay to view.

About the artist:
Born in Rochester, NY in 1979, Mark Lyon developed a strong interest in art in High School. His undergraduate studies began at the School of Visual Arts where he was the recipient of a Rhodes and Faculty Scholarships. He completed his undergraduate studies with a Bachelor of Science in Art Education at SUNY New Paltz, NY in 2003. In 2008, Mark Lyon received a Master’s of Art with an emphasis in photography from SUNY New Paltz, NY. He was honored with the Photographer’s Fellowship from The Center of Photography at Woodstock, NY that same year and again in 2015. Awarded the Aperture Portfolio Prize, Runner Up and was named one of the Critical Mass Top 50, Mark Lyon has exhibited at The Center of Photography at Woodstock, NY and The Rayko Photo Center, San Francisco, CA His work has been featured in The New York Times Lens Blog, The Photo District News Blog, Feature Shoot and DART: Design Arts Daily. Mark Lyon is in the permanent collections of The Samuel Dorsky Museum of Art, New Paltz, NY and Indie Photobook Library, New York, NY.