About the artist
Widely regarded as Manchester’s Mosaic Master, Mark Kennedy has been creating work for over 30 years. He is presently the artist-in-residence for Manchester City FC, his work covers several sides of Affleck’s Palace, sits on the walls of many hospitality establishments throughout the city, as well as hanging over hundreds of fireplaces across the globe.
INTRODUCTION BY ANTHONY H WILSON
Mark Kennedy, or MK as the dons of Manchester art might put it.
What’s so bloody wonderful about a geezer who glues cracked pottery to a wall?
A lot, mate, a lot.
Most importantly , the unique impact his art makes on every viewer, from the fortunate owner of a Kennedy piece, or maybe that should be a piece of Kennedy, to the casual stroller in the Northern Quarter of Manchester, who smiles at his depictions of Morrissey or 007 (or me, or even Coogan as me).
And what is so special is the three dimensionality, the rough protrusion that this art makes from the one dimensional wall on which it hides its depth.
I am lucky enough to have one on the wall of my loft, a birthday present from my partner, turned over at cut price, “cause it’s family”. It’s “Unknown Pleasures” by Peter Saville out of an old maths book belonging to Bernard Summer, but with the iconic black and white image of the radio emissions erupting from a dying star... turned Orange.
And it’s wonderful. Startling and wonderful.
And let’s go beyond the sensual feel of Mark’s mosaics and their exhortation to touch and feel
There’s the subjects.
And that’s what’s going on. MK takes iconic images and finds for them a new life, a new role, a new tangibility in their existence as mosaic. And the iconic image finds new things to say to us.
The Bruce Lee, the Ian Brown, the Beckham that even flattened on the cover of city life on 80mm stock with a gloss overlay, still managed to transmit the new life and meaning given to this classic stock image.
Mark Kennedy Artistic Statement
My work for the last 30 years has been based on identity. My own identity and place of birth which is the city of Manchester in the north west of England, it’s social movements, politics, sport, film, drama, music and television. When I was approached by Raymond Boyle to create a series to celebrate the Irish nation, it really was a no-brainer.
The connections between Ireland and it’s people and the city of Manchester are utterly interwoven. Ireland is in the city’s DNA from the building of the Manchester Ship Canal and it’s roads and infrastructure to the detonation of the biggest bomb to have been deployed in mainland Britain since WWII (I know I was there). No other nation outside Great Britain has had such an influence on this city. Indeed I believe a 3rd of mancunians come from Irish heritage.
I myself, would, as a child listen to my family talk about their grandfather who fled County Mayo in Ireland to join the Foreign Legion. He was an enigma to them, why he fled Ireland they did not know, but he eventually settled in Manchester and his son Joseph Kennedy was my father’s father.
My Grandad Kennedy and his wife Mary were publican’s in East Manchester. During their life they won a competition in the Manchester Evening News to go to America and take part in the St Patrick’s Day Parade in New York with spending money and a hotel to boot.
On their return they were whisked off to Ireland for a holiday, my grandad described it as a sort of homecoming.
Whilst making this work which has taken the best part of a decade to complete I immersed myself in the great writings and politics of this small island whose influence can be felt all across the world.
