Marcus Aitken's canvases are built up, distressed and blended into rich, worked surfaces where you can read the whole process: the layering, the scraping back, the energy of the making, in the finished piece.
He came up through London, undertaking a degree in illustration at the University of the Arts after a foundation at Camberwell, and now works from Margate. The approach is physical and instinctive, more about how the surface is handled than about any single image.
He has shown widely in the UK and abroad, made a public commission for the National Gallery's 200th anniversary, and held solo exhibitions in Madrid and London, alongside appearances at Christie's and the Affordable Art Fair. His work has featured in Conde Nast and Highsnobiety and is held in the Soho House collection.
