Mark Flood
Mark Flood (b. 1957, Houston) is an interdisciplinary artist known for his dystopic, punk-informed sensibility. Flood’s work developed out of his background in the local Houston punk scene, where he designed concert flyers and performed in the band Culturcide. Flood later worked as a museum assistant for the Menil Collection and often cites art historical references in his work. His appropriative assemblages, inspired by the work of Joseph Cornell, offer ironic critiques of the art world by hijacking its jargon and serially deploying slogans like “ANOTHER PAINTING” and “ART FAIR FEVER!” Recognized for his contrarian attitude, Flood turns the format of declarative, all-caps sloganeering against itself. His dark, irreverent sense of humor is consistent across his distressed paintings and sculptures, which assimilate provocative catchphrases, finance infographics, altered logos, warped celebrity headshots, and ghostly torn lace.
Recent solo exhibitions include Elliott Templeton Fine Art, New York (2024); F, Houston (2021); Karma, New York (2020); Maccarone, New York (2017); Contemporary Arts Museum Houston (2016); Frank Elbaz, Dallas (2016); Ever Gold Projects, San Francisco (2016); Rubell Family Collection, Miami (2015); and Peres Projects, Berlin (2015). Flood’s work is represented in the collections of the Birmingham Art Museum, Alabama; Dallas Museum of Art; Menil Collection, Houston; Modern Art Museum of Fort Worth, Texas; and Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, among others.
Born in 1957, Houston
Lives and works in Houston
EDUCATION
1981
BFA, Rice University, Houston
Selected Solo Exhibitions
2024
Elliott Templeton Fine Art, New York City, Tommy Puett
2021
F, Houston, Face Index
Museum of Crypto Art/Ever Gold [Projects], San Francisco, Dominoes
2020
Karma, New York, Protest Signs from 1992
2019
Ever Gold [Projects], San Francisco, Paintings from the Postwar Era
2017
Maccarone, New York, Mark Flood: Google Murder-Suicide
2016
Ever Gold [Projects], San Francisco, Mark Flood / Paintings From the War For Social Justice
Contemporary Arts Museum, Houston, Mark Flood: Greatest Hits
2015
Stuart Shave/Modern Art, London, American Buffet Upgrade
2014
Modern Art, London, Mark Flood
Zach Feuer Gallery, New York, Available NASDAQ Symbol
Center 548, New York, Insider Art Fair
Contemporary Art Museum, St. Louis, Missouri, Another Painting
Feuer/Mesler, New York, Mark Flood: The INSIDER ART FAIR 2014
2013
Beta Pictoris, Birmingham, Alabama, Facebook Farm
Peppersray, Peres Projects, Berlin, Mark Flood Ask Officer
2012
Grimm Schultz, Brooklyn, Bushwick Basement
Home Alone Gallery, New York, YES YES YAWN
Zach Feuer Gallery, New York, ARTSTAR
Luxemborg & Dayan, New York, The Hateful Years
Peres Projects, Berlin, PEOPLE ARE STRANGLE
2011
Zach Feuer Gallery, New York, MARK FLOOD
Maccarone, New York, Monument to the Responsible Management of the Earth
Cardoza Fine Art, Houston, The Bitterness of the Red Pill
2010
Peres Projects, Berlin, Bitch Moves
Galerie Rudiger Schottle, Munich, Decorations on her Body
Noma Gallery, San Francisco, Green Cube
2009
Zach Feuer Gallery, New York, Chelsea Whores
Peres Projects, Berlin, Wart Exhibit
2008
Peres Projects, Los Angeles, Entertainment Weakly
Locker Plant, Chinati Foundation, Marfa, Texas, Vote Demon Replicant
Brasil, Houston, Nondifference Personified
2006
Arthur Roger Gallery, New Orleans, Assorted Rags
Marty Walker Gallery, Dallas, Lace Paintings
Finesilver Gallery, San Antonio, Texas Lace Paintings
2005
Machine Project, Los Angeles, Surprise Your Loved Ones
Brasil, Houston, Support Your Local Parasitic art Bureaucracy
American Fine Art, New York, Lace Paintings
Angstrom, Dallas, Lace Paintings
Mixture, Houston, Lace Paintings
2002
Solway Jones, Los Angeles, Lace Paintings
Marfa Book Company, Marfa, Texas, Mark Flood
Mixture Gallery, Houston, Lace Paintings
Angstrom Gallery, Dallas, Mark Flood
2001
Sala Diaz, San Antonio, Texas, Lace Paintings
2000
Marfa, Texas, An Exhibition of Work by Mark Flood Organized by Rob Weiner
1998
Commerce Street Artists Warehouse, Houston, Temple Signage
1997
Brasil, Houston, More Mark Flood
1994
Lynn Goode Gallery, Houston, Mark Flood
1993
Zero One Gallery, Los Angeles, Trophy Paintings
1992
Lynn Goode Gallery, Houston, Art Management
1991
GVG Gallery, Houston, Social Bodies
1989
GVG Gallery, Houston, Imperatives
Commerce Street, Houston, Celebrity Idolatry
1988
DiverseWorks, Houston, Billboard Alterations
1987
Instituto Stato di Cultura, Houston, My Relationship With My Co-Workers
1981
3221 Milam, Houston, And Man Chose
Selected Group Exhibitions
2021
PRP, Dallas, Stretcher Barbeque
2020
MoCA Westport, Connecticut, World Peace
2019
Neumann Wolfson Art, New York, Ozymandias
Lowell Ryan Projects, Los Angeles, Color Out of Space
2018
National Portrait Gallery, London; The Grand Palais, Paris; The Bundeskunsthalle, Boon, Germany; Michael Jackson: On the Wall
Marciano Art Foundation, Los Angeles, Mad World
Schirn Kunsthall, Frankfurt, Power to the People
2017
Hiram Butler Gallery, Houston, Apertures
Bradbury Art Museum, Arkansas State University, Jonesboro, A Shared Vision, Selections from the Ru-dolph-Blum Collection
The Museum of Modern Art, Gunma, Japan, Taguchi Art Collection
Helsinki Contemporary, Helsinki, The Book of The World
Salon 94 and Maccarone Gallery, Lever House, New York, MIDTOWN
Night Gallery, Los Angeles, True Lies
Marlborough Contemporary, New York, FEEDBACK
Luxembourg & Dayan, New York, The Ends of Collage
Luxembourg & Dayan, London, The Ends of Collage
Moore Building, Miami Design District, Abstract / Not Abstract
2016
Marlborough Gallery, New York, The Future is Ow
me Collectors Room Berlin, Berlin, My Abstract World
Berezdivin Collection, Puerto Rico, Painting2
Staatliche Kunsthalle Baden-Baden, Baden-Baden, Germany, Gutes böses Geld. eine Bildgeschichte der Ökonomie
Museum of Moving Image, New York, Walkers: Hollywood Afterlives in Art & Artifact
2015
Blue Star Contemporary Art Museum, San Antonio, Texas Gift: An Exquisite Exhibition
The Hole, New York, NOT A PHOTO
Gagosian Gallery, Los Angeles, Theories on Forgetting
The Hole, New York, Post Analog Painting
Venus Over Manhattan, New York, #RAWHIDE
Luxembourg & Dayan, London, Word for Word
Peres Projects, Berlin, Serialize
2014
Patricia Low Contemporary, Gstaad, Switzerland, Summer in Gstaad
Derek Eller Gallery, New York, New Hells
2013
The Alfond Collection of Contemporary Art at Rollins College, Winter Park, Florida, Art for Rollins
Utah Museum of Contemporary Art, Salt Lake City, Analogital
Galerie Perrotin, Paris, Harold Ancart, Kristin Baker, Mark Barrow, Nina Beier, Anna Betbeze, Mark Flood, Thilo Heinzmann, John Henderson, Scott Lyall, Jayson Musson, Renaud Regnery, and Pae White
Jonathan Viner, London, The Writing on the Wall
Frederick R. Weisman Museum of Art, Pepperdine University, Malibu, Art for Art’s Sake
Co-Lab Projects, Austin, LAME LEWD AND DEPRESSED: Lane Hagood, Mark Flood, and Jeremy DePrez
The Contemporary Arts Museum, Houston, Outside the Lines: UIA (Unlikely Iterations of the Abstract)
Marlborough Chelsea, New York, Double Hamburger Deluxe
American Academy, Rome, ANAMERICANA
2012
Oakland University Art Gallery, Rochester, Michigan, Idealizing the Imaginary: Invention and Illusion in Contemporary Painting
Marlborough Gallery, New York, BLIND CUT
CCA Kunsthalle Andratx, Mallorca, Collaborations & Interventions
1100 E 5th Street, Austin, Texas, Files, Desks, Chairs
Anton Kern Gallery, New York, It’s Always Sunny on the Inside
Jonathan LeVine Gallery, New York, Detournement: Signs of the Times
McClain Gallery, Houston, In Plain Sight
Marlborough Gallery, Madrid, Eagles
2011
Autocenter, Berlin, The Cannibal’s Muse II
Autocenter, Berlin, A Painting Show
Luxembourg & Dayan, New York, Grisaille
2010
Museum 52, New York, Preconceived Iconography
Perry Rubenstein Gallery, New York, SHRED
Zach Feuer Gallery, New York, Open
2009
Marty Walker Gallery, Dallas, There’s Something I’ve been meaning to tell you…
Artnews Projects, Berlin, Reality Sandwiches
Peres, Projects, Los Angeles, Minneapolis
REMAP2, Athens, Mark Flood and John Kleckner: Additional Paintings
Lead Aprons, Los Angeles, Geography of Imagination
2008
Maccarone Gallery, New York, Pretty Ugly
Asia Song Society, New York and Peres Project, Los Angeles, Sack of Bones
2007
Cameron Art Museum, Wilmington, North Carolina, Big
Marty Walker Gallery, Dallas, Group Exhibition by Gallery Artists
Marty Walker Gallery, Dallas, New Paintings by Jeff Elrod, Mark Flood, and Jeff Zilm
2006
Pulse and Flow Miami 2006, Scope
Marfa Book Company, Marfa, Mark Flood, Jeff Elrod, and Jack Pierson
Marty Walker Gallery, Dallas, Inaugrural Group Show
2005
Anton Kern Gallery, New York, Return of the Boys in the Bubble
Glassell School of Art, Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, Restless
2002
University of South Florida Contemporary Arts Museum, Tampa, Blip
Solway Jones, Los Angeles, Bitchin’ Pictures
Houston, Million Dollar Hotel
2001
CB313 Gallery, New York, Show People
Good/Bad, New York, Kick the Habit
The Menil Collection, Houston, Postmodern Americans: a selection
Commerce Street, Houston, Trying Too Hard
2000
Hofstra University, Hempstead, New York, Broken Paintings
Anton Kern Gallery, New York, Mark Flood, Dan McCarthy, Jack Pierson
1999
Contemporary Arts Museum, Houston, Texas Draws
1998
Angstrom Gallery, Dallas, Elrod/Flood/Tucker
1997
Lawndale Art Center, Houston, Monstrous Double
1996
La Pananderia, Mexico City, Unmade in the U.S.A.
1995
Holly Solomon Gallery, New York, City Folk
1994
Thicket Gallery, New York, Made in the U.S.A: A 2000 Year Survey
1993
Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, Texas Contemporary: Acquisitions of the 90s
Blaffer Gallery, University of Houston, Darkness and Light
River Oaks Theater, Houston, Faces
Catal Huyuk, Houston, 100 Viewings of the Rodney King Beating
1992
Bridgewater-Lustberg Gallery, New York, Paint by Numbers
Contemporary Art Center, New Orleans, Avenues of Departure
Laguna Gloria Museum, Austin, Primarily Paint
Jamison Thomas Gallery, Portland, Oregon, Crosses
1990
Lynn Goode Gallery, Houston, The Art of Assemblage
1600 Smith, Houston, Texas Art Celebration 90
1989
Treebeard’s, Houston, Primal Screen: A Fake Art Movement
1988
Club Proteus, Houston
Glassell School of Art, Houston, Synergy
1600 Smith, Houston, Houston 88
1987
Screen Memories, Houston, Vandalism
Houston Center for Photography, Houston, One Eye
1600 Smith, Houston, True Wit – Humor in Texas Art
DiverseWorks, Houston, Found
1986
DiverseWorks, Houston, 3 to 5
1985
Mid-Town Arts Center, Houston, Propaganda
DiverseWorks, Houston, Group Show
1982
Studio One, Houston, Prisoners of Conscience
1981
3221 Milam, Houston, Five Unimportant Artists
Awards
1991
Engelhard Award
Collections
Menil Collection, Houston
Microsoft Corporation, Redmond, Washington
Modern Art Museum of Fort Worth, Texas
Museum of Fine Arts Houston
Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art, Kansas City, Missouri
Paul and Patricia Winkler, Houston
San Antonio Museum of Art, Texas