Mark Boyle was born in Glasgow in 1934 and from 1985 exhibited as part of The Boyle Family with his wife Joan Hills and their children, Sebastian and Georgina.

After studying law at Glasgow University he took part in exhibitions and performances, organised with Joan from their studio and in collaboration with artists, dancers, film makers and musicians including Jimi Hendrix.

As The Boyle Family the group aimed to reproduce scenarios with an absolute objectivity, believing that nothing should be excluded as a potential subject for art. One notable project, entitled The Journey to the Surface of the Earth, consisted of reproducing pieces of ground chosen randomly by visitors to the gallery who were blindfolded and asked to throwing darts at a map. The aim of this randomness was to 2remove the prejudices that the conditioning of our upbringing and culture impose". (1)

The Boyle Family has staged numerous solo shows including exhibitions at Turkse & Turkse Gallery in Zürich (1989), Nishimura Gallery in Tokyo (1990) and the Scottish National Gallery of Modern Art, Edinburgh (2003).

He represented Britain at the Venice Biennale in 1978 and again at the as Sao Paulo Biennial in 1987. Examples of his works are held by the Arts Council, the British Council and the Scottish Arts Council.

Mark Boyle died in 2005; he survived by his wife and children who continue to live and work in London.

Reference Bibliography:
Buckman D., 2006, Artists in Britain since 1945, Vol 1, Art Dictionaries Ltd, Bristol

(1) Quote from Boyle Family Beyond Image Catalogue

www.boylefamily.co.uk

Glossary

  • Film

    A transparent, flexible plastic material, usually of cellulose acetate or polyester, on which light-sensitive emulsion is coated, or on which an image can be formed by various transfer processes.

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  • Art Project