Mark Snyder, “Auto-Cannibalism,” January 22 – March 4, 2016

Snyder uses the automobile and its engine as both an exhaustive subject and powerful symbol across media. He is drawn to the intersection between masculinity and machine, visually articulating the violent, dangerous actions that are often associated with sports cars, dragsters, and auto-racing. His practice is rooted in the scientific tools of documentation and dissection. He dismantles each problem, investigating the individual bits, and reassembling the fragments into a new state. This investigative process is often revealed in the works through markings, malformations, and distortions, indicating the areas searched, exposing the hidden, and discarding the preconceived.

Snyder also explores engines and automotive frames in a way that reflects a larger cultural ambivalence toward both man and machine. The installation portion of Auto-Cannibalism begins with the inert and voiceless dragster, waiting for life to be breathed into it. Next is the sacrificed poly-head 318, dismembered and dissected so that it can be rebuilt anew into a more powerful and desirable object. The third is the table upon which the mechanical remains are laid, where details are studied, and plans are rendered. The exhibit also includes Snyder’s schematic drawing of various automotive innards. The focus on the automobile and the engine in this exhibit ties into the Tri-Main Center’s history as a Ford Motor Plant where over 600,000 Model T’s were manufactured in one of Albert Kahn’s Daylight Factories. 

Mark Snyder earned his undergraduate degree from Alfred University in 1996 and spent several years studying at the Rochester Institute of Technology’s School of the American Crafts. He earned his MFA from the University at Buffalo’s Visual Studies and Emerging Practices program. His artwork has been shown throughout the United States and published in Leanardo Magazine and Big, Red, and Shiny. The artist has also received complimentary reviews from major publications including the Boston Globe.