Loren Marks’ work radiates with a sense of intuitive energy—her layered, figurative paintings balance ambiguity and presence, memory and materiality. Ahead of her presentation with SANDERSON at Sydney Contemporary, we spoke with the Naarm/Melbourne-based artist about the ritual of daily painting, the shifting identity of her figures, and how discarded books and inner instincts guide her richly alchemical process.
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What inspired you to pursue a career in art, and how has your journey as an artist evolved over the years?
I loved art as a child but I didn’t know where it would lead. I was lucky to get a place at the Whitecliffe College of Art and Design in Tāmaki Makaurau where I studied a Bachelor of Fine Arts. After graduating I became a surface print designer in the fashion industry. When I was working, I felt like I had all these ideas swirling around in my head and I needed an outlet, so after hours I began making my own art and then showing the pieces in random places in the city. My current gallery director at Sanderson saw the work at a pop up exhibition I put on and I was fortunate to be offered my first gallery solo show shortly after. That moment was the catalyst for me to focus on pursuing my career in art, and now I have moved to in Naarm Melbourne to complete my Masters at VCA, University of Melbourne, as a recipient of the Cranbourne Scholarship in Visual Art.
Loren Marks, As for the Rest, 2025. Courtesy of the artist and SANDERSON.
Although your process is described as intuitive and ritualistic, how do you prepare to paint, and how does that affect what appears on the canvas?
Intuition for me is very human, where sensations in my body and mind work in synchronicity to make decisions. I will start by putting paint on the surface of the canvas, which sets off a chain of events that lead to the final outcome. Sometimes the works completely change from the beginning idea. I get ideas for my works from my environment – walking around the city, looking at art, or out in nature. I sketch from my head or I’ll find photos or books that present themselves to me. I found a discarded Caravaggio book outside of my apartment that provided ideas for my current body of work. I have learnt to trust myself and the materials, and it always ends up working out if I am habitually showing up in my studio. This ritual and dedication has taught me lessons that spread out into other aspects of my life.
Loren Marks, On A Promise, 2024. Courtesy of the artist and SANDERSON.
Your figures are often ambiguous and shifting, what draws you to this sense of fluid identity?
Exploring the figurative is so fascinating to me, with its infinite possibilities. I want my figures to be viewed as genderless and without a specific ethnicity or identity. I want them to have a universal feeling where they transcend time and space, and you cannot place exactly where they are from. By keeping the figures ambiguous and shifting, I wish to gently invite the viewer to recognise things about themselves in them, and become part of the work too.
Loren Marks, Slowing of Seasons, 2025. Courtesy of the artist and SANDERSON.
With your layered, alchemical technique, how do you know when a painting is finished?
I never know when a painting is finished! But I definitely know when it’s not finished.
I sometimes bring them home from my studio and I’ll just look at them in a different space for ages and if they’re not done, they sort of annoy me or there’s just something not right and it goes back to that mind/body intuition, like the feeling of knowing that it’s not right. It’s a good sign when I don’t feel bugged by it.
Loren Marks, I Was Able to Go This Far, 2024. Courtesy of the artist and SANDERSON.
Where do you hope to see yourself, your practice, in 10 years?
Being in new places and environments always invigorates my practice. I like to live and work either in a busy city, or deep in nature, nothing in between! I can imagine my practice evolving. With each show there is always a shift. I’m materials led so I don’t really know what my next body of work will be until I make it. What I love about art is that anything can happen, and that’s what makes it so exciting.
Loren Marks, Clouds in Your Eyes, 2024. Courtesy of the artist and SANDERSON.
Loren will present new work at Sydney Contemporary 2025 with SANDERSON. Tickets to Sydney Contemporary are on sale now.
