I am Iron Man

There are some artists who seem like they knew from the moment they picked up their first crayon that they had a story to tell. Mark Newport creates work centering around his fascination with superheroes. His hand knit costumes combine the idea of their heroic, ultra masculine personas with the protective gestures of his mother- sweaters she made to keep him warm during the long New England winters.



Using techniques and color choices he learned from his mother, Mark creates life-size, wearable objects of art that challenge the stereotypical muscular form of the hero, allowing someone to imagine themselves as a real-life hero. Some are characters we all know well like Spiderman and Batman, but others like The Sweatermen, Every-Any-No Man, and Bobbleman are heroes Mark invented himself.



Seeing Mark's learned talent for knitting, I'm hoping he explores other wearable heroic ideas, but in the meantime, I'm ready for my custom-made hero knit jumpsuit, so call me Mark!