Marie Larkin is one of Australia's most successful lowbrow artists with a substantial global following of fans and collectors.
Her works are held in many private and public collections all over the world. Marie's work has been exhibited in Australia, the USA, France, Portugal and Germany.

Her art embodies an undeniably feminine oeuvre, meticulous execution and attention to detail. Her richly coloured, painted and drawn alternate worlds bewilder the imagination with idyllic surrealism and endless possibilities. Her compositions are inhabited by her resilient protagonists. These signature women imbue the works with narrative and emotional content. 
Women of strength and character, whose undeniable feminine force has become the artist's trademark. Early works in painting, drawing and sculpture were inspired by fairytale and nursery rhyme narratives, pop culture and notions of beauty. Gradually over 10 years, the women and their narratives became more meaningful. Larkin has often used the females as more complex metaphors to express ideas about The Feminine. 

Marie Larkin has a Bachelor of Art Education and has been a visual artist and art teacher since 1980. She gained national recognition and success in the 1990's as an embroiderer. She began exhibiting her painting and drawing in 2010 and has shown in exhibitions and galleries in Australia, the United States and Europe. 



ARTIST STATEMENT 



The Exterminators and Space Toy Adventure are new works from my current series The Pretenders. I think we all wear masks at times to protect ourselves or hide our feelings or who we really are. Sometimes we pretend to be something we are not. Perhaps this is to hide or protect our vulnerability or to make up for our own perceived flaws or failings, or so we feel more like we 'fit in' with others or a part of society. This new series, The Prentenders comes from a place where reality and fantasy entwine and the female characters wear masks or pretend to be something they are not, or do they? I hope it can be hard at times to tell if the women are dressed up as animals or toys etc. or the toys are pretending to be women or are they hybrids? The handpainted OOAK custom vinyl toys appear in the paintings as secondary characters. This is a very quirky, narrative series, and each work has its own little story painted in a highly illustrative style.


SELECTED EXHIBITIONS

2021
Dream Bags and Jaguar Shoes - Kirk Gallery, Aalborg, DENMARK
Lucid Dreaming - Copro Callery - LA, USA

2020
Mythical Beasts - Corey Helford Gallery - LA, USA
Midnight Garden - Beautiful Bizarre Magazine curated exhibition - Modern Eden Gallery, San Francisco, USA
The Art Collector Starter Kit - Corey Helford Gallery - LA, USA
Quest - Birds of Paradise - Solo Show - Corey Helford Gallery - LA, USA

2019
Anniversary Group Show - Corey Helford Gallery - LA, USA
Gaia Reborn - Beautiful Bizarre Magazine curated exhibition - Urban Nation, Berlin, Germany
Hello Kitty’s 45th Anniversary Show - Corey Helford Gallery - LA, USA
The Art Collector Starter Kit - Corey Helford Gallery - LA, USA
Quest - The Journey. - Solo Show - Weswal Gallery - Tamworth, Australia

2018
Animation Reimagined - Modern Eden Gallery, San Francisco, USA
Mermay - Modern Eden Gallery, San Francisco, USA
Subversive - Cult and Harper Gallery, Adelaide, AUST
The New Romantics - Cory Helford Gallery, LA, USA
Father Superior 2018 Launch, Sydney, AUST
Ephemeral - Beautiful Bizarre curated exhibition - Modern Eden Gallery, San Francisco, USA
The Art Collector Starter Kit - Corey Helford Gallery, LA, USA

2017
Red - Lovetts Gallery, Tulsa USA
Wonderfully Weird Wonders - Curly Tale Fine Art, Chicago USA
Bitter|Sweet - Beautiful Bizarre curated exhibition - 19Karen Gallery, Gold Coast AUST
A Night at the Movies - Penumbra Gallery, PORTUGAL
Intimacy - Swoon Gallery, Los Angeles, USA
Potions, Spells and Magic - Penumbra Gallery, PORTUGAL
Damsels in Distress - With Sheri DeBow and Kurtis Rykovich, Bash Fine Art, Las Vegas, USA
Hide and Seek -Weswal Gallery, Tamworth AUST
Solo Show - Swoon Gallery, Los Angeles, USA

2016
Oneirataxia - Alexi Era Gallery, Illinois USA
Empathetic  - Alexi Era Gallery, Illinois USA
Gypsy - Alexi Era Gallery, Illinois USA
International Group Show - AFA Belcastle Chateau, FRANCE
Femme to Femme Fatale. Beautiful Bizarre Curated  Show - Modern Eden Gallery, San Francisco USA
All Hallows Eve  - Penumbra Gallery, PORTUGAL

2015
International Group Shows
Pandoras Box International Group Show - AFA | NYC
Dia De Muertos International Group Show - Alexi Era Gallery,  Mascoutah, Illinois
Victoriana International Group Show - Alexi Era Gallery,  Mascoutah, Illinois
Celestial International  Group Show - Alexi Era Gallery,  Mascoutah, Illinois
Storybook International  Group Show - Modern Eden Gallery, San Fransisco