Mark Prest is a British curator, recovery activist, and founder of Portraits of Recovery (PORe), the UK’s only international visual arts charity dedicated to living and lived experiences of substance use and recovery. A man himself in long-term recovery, Prest’s personal journey has profoundly shaped his curatorial practice, steering it toward socially engaged work that challenges stigma and fosters cultural inclusion.

With over 27 years in the visual arts, Prest began his career developing a nationally recognised exhibitions programme at The City Gallery, Leicester. His unique perspective, combining lived experience with professional expertise - positions him as a leading voice in Recoverism, a cultural philosophy that reframes recovery as a creative and civic process.

Recoverism challenges clinical and moral narratives by recognising people in recovery as artists, collaborators, and storytellers whose experiences hold cultural and social value. Rooted in Manchester’s legacy of social change, it promotes dignity, inclusion, and transformation through the arts.

Founded in 2011, PORe collaborates with leading contemporary artists and people in recovery to co-create work that redefines addiction and recovery identities. Its projects have been showcased across the UK and internationally, including partnerships with Manchester Art Gallery, the Whitworth, and Towner Eastbourne.

PORe believes arts and culture are transformational. Under Prest’s leadership, its mission is to expand cultural access and enable people in recovery to shape an emergent cultural identity—redefining recovery through creativity, community, and cultural pride.