Mark lives and works in the U Street neighborhood of Washington DC. A PhD epidemiologist by training, he uses photography to explore patterns of movement in human populations, focusing on architecture as evidence of often-invisible social, environmental, and economic processes.
Mark has family roots in the desert landscape of Almería, Spain, and he is currently documenting the remains of old movie sets constructed in the region during the 1960s and 1970s. His exhibit ‘Once Upon a Time in Almería’ was recently on view at the Embassy of Spain in Washington DC and will be traveling in the spring of 2013.
His work has been featured at various galleries in Washington DC and at Galería Acanto in Almeria, Spain and appears in the DC Art Bank and numerous individual collections.
He is an active member of the Mid City Artists and the Washington Project for the Arts.
He was also recently selected as a finalist for the 2011 Sondheim Prize and a finalist for Critical Mass 2012.
Press
- Washington Diplomat, “‘Once Upon a Time,’ Almería was home to cowboys and Cleopatra,” October 31, 2012
- Washington Post, “‘Signals’ shows there’s plenty going on in Washington’s art scene,” November 8, 2012
- WAMU Metro Connection, “Photographer captures ghostly “Hollywood of Europe’ on film” (radio), October 26, 2012
- La Voz de Almería,“Mark Parascandola, la fotografía de lo que queda tras el ser humano,” November 28, 2011
- Washington Post, “Five artists lead us down varied streets,” July 29, 2011
- PinkLineProject.com, “Almerian Narratives through Abandoned Architecture” (interview), July 10, 2011
- Urbanite, “Visual Arts Cliffhanger,” July 5, 2011
- Baltimore Sun, “Sondheim Prize finalists engage senses, issues,” June 25, 2011
- Art-full Life (Blog of BMA Director Doreen Bolger), “Sondheim Artscape Prize Exhibition: Abandoned Places,” July 1, 2011
- Washington Post, “Photographers Share Tips for Budding Shutterbugs,” March 11, 2011
- Montgomery Gazette, “Glen Echo gallery holds up ‘mirror’,” March 25, 2011
- La Voz de Almeria, “Mark Parascandola exhibe en Washington sus fotos sobre Almeria,” March 15, 2011
- Borderstan, “Mark Parascandola: Abandoned Architecture,” January 4, 2011
- Washington City Paper, “Cult: 10/29″ (review), City Lights picks, November 3, 2010
- Yeahbaby (bmibaby in flight magazine), “The Insider: Almeria, Spain” (interview), October-December 2010
- La Voz de Almeria, “Mark Parascandola: Entrevista” (interview) December 13, 2009
- FotoweekDC.org, “The Top 10 Must Attend Fotoweek Exhibits”
- The Dupont Current November 12, 2008 “Photoweek show spotlights architectural changes”
Awards
- Finalist, Critical Mass 2012
- Finalist, Janet & Walter Sondheim Artscape Prize 2011
- Distinguished Artist prize, Enclave Arts Competition
Selected Exhibitions
2012
- Once Upon a Time in Almería (solo show), Embassy of Spain, Washington DC
- Emerging Artist Showcase (solo show), ArtSee and TTR Sotheby’s International Realty, Washington DC
2011
- Photo 2011: Annual Juried Mid-Atlantic Photo Exhibition, Terrace Gallery at Artisphere, Arlington, VA
- Sondheim Artscape Prize: 2011 Finalists, Baltimore Museum of Art, Baltimore, MD
- Like Nowhere I’ve Been: Landscapes de un Sueño, Evolve Urban Arts Project, Washington DC
- Flash, FotoDC, Crystal City, VA
- Mirror to the World, Photoworks, Glen Echo, Maryland
2010
- Cult: 10/29 Group Photography Exhibition, The Gallery at Social, Washington DC
- Thoreau’s Legacy, Union of Concerned Scientists, Washington DC
- Friend Request: MCA Invitational, Art 17 at Coldwell Banker, Washington DC
- Social Network in the Neighborhood, DC Loft Gallery, Washington DC
2009
- Spanish Ghosts: Spain’s Abandoned Architecture (solo show), Studio B at Biagio Fine Chocolate
- Idylls, organized by the Washington Project for the Arts and the World Bank Art Program, Washington DC
- This District Moment: Report from the Streets, Pyramid Atlantic Arts Center, Silver Spring MD
2008
- Temporary Constructions: New Photographs by Stirling Elmendorf and Mark Parascandola, Nevin Kelly Gallery, Washington DC
- Earth in the Balance, Union of Concerned Scientists, Washington DC
- Images of Washington, DC Commission on the Arts and Humanities, Washington DC
- Face of the World, VisArts – Metropolitan Center for the Visual Arts, Rockville, MD
- 40X26.667: A Photographic Collaboration by Stirling Elmendorf and Mark Parascandola, Caramel, Washington DC
2007
- Double Vision: The Photographic Work of Yanina Manolova and Mark Parascandola, Nevin Kelly Gallery, Washington DC
- 6th Annual International Photography Competition, Fraser Gallery, Bethesda, MD