One Front Street
Sep 21 - Nov 22, 2025
Announcing the solo exhibition of one grand scale and four medium sized artworks by Mark Stephenson at One Front Street in San Francisco, California.
Crafted by the esteemed architectural firm Skidmore, Owings & Merrill, One Front Street showcases an impressive Postmodernist architectural style. Its design not only adds aesthetic value but also reflects the innovative spirit of San Francisco.
This impressive skyscraper rises thirty-eight stories high, encompassing a substantial total area of around 645,000 square feet. Within this space, 36 floors are dedicated to Class A office space, offering ample room for various business needs.
Strategically located at the corner of Front Street within the vibrant Financial District, One Front Street boasts a prime position that enhances its appeal to a multitude of businesses. Its accessibility to public transport and proximity to other business amenities further solidify its status as a desirable location.
Mark Stephenson Artist Statement: The Luminous Grounds Series
My art is a loving and respectful celebration of nature, especially trees. It’s hard to overstate the significance of trees in literature, science and ordinary life. Personally, there is nothing better than a long hike in the forest to settle the mind, invigorate the body, expand perspective and viscerally connect with the ever expanding creative expression of the universe.
This series is also a meditation on how we "create" reality from sketchy sensory perceptions.
Look at the art as you walk by, or sway left and right and notice how the subject appears to jump out against the dynamic luminous background.
This illusion of 3-D depth is compelling, because light reflecting off the artwork’s background, combined with the photorealistic subject matter in the foreground, trips neural circuits that cue a cascade of stored perceptions. It’s a kind of biological shorthand that our miraculous brains have evolved to recognize curated patterns almost instantaneously. Though not foolproof, those stored perceptions are correct often enough to tip our species toward survival. “Is that a big oddly-shaped rock up there on the ridge, or a hungry saber-toothed tiger?”
I use powered hand tools (sanders, grinders and wire brushes) to create layers of luminous textures, polished reflective patterns, on metal composite panels. Then I print my super high resolution composite panoramic photographs right on top of the panel with a special flatbed inkjet printer, pigmented for longevity and cured with powerful LED UV lamps for a super strong bond. Archival and hyper realistic, the images won’t fade or change color under normal indoor lighting conditions for +100 years.
- Mark Stephenson 2025
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