Mark Draisey

 

Mark Draisey is a British artist based in South Oxfordshire. Since 1986 he worked as a freelance cartoonist, caricaturist, illustrator and also as a puppet sculptor on Central TV’s Spitting Image. His most recent work is primarily portraiture, with the goal of inspiring people particularly men to think more critically about their physical and emotional health.

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"I began creating this collection of very personal, often intrusive self-portraits to firstly show my daily life, my physical relationship with type 1 diabetes, and my often fluctuating mental health. But I also wanted to use these paintings, and drawings, to encourage people, particularly men, to think more about their own bodies and their mental health. Men, just as much as women, have major issues with how their bodies compare to those of others, so I made the decision to appear naked to prove that, although I do not in any way think of myself as beautiful, that images of the naked male figure should not be downgraded as disgusting or pornographic, but should be viewed as equally attractive, interesting or beguiling as those of the females we are so used to seeing in art. It was also important to me to prove that depictions of nudity should not be the reserve of youth, but can be expanded to people of all ages, shapes and sizes". 

 

 Mark Draisey.