PRESs
and interviews
JANUARY 8, 2024
Emerging from dynamic layers of paint and other mediums, applied, distressed, applied again; embedded with texts, figures, and raw expressive gestures, the message in artworks by Monica Marks is ultimately about healing—and so is her own creative process.Throughout her career, her interest in art has always been entwined with her practice as a therapist, engaged in how the power of art amplified her work in healing others; in the past several years, she’s steadily redeployed these skills in a program of healing herself. Her latest exhibition opens in downtown Los Angeles this weekend, presenting new works that explore the disconnect between who we are on the inside and who we pretend to be in public out of fear, guilt, shame, or a simple lack of confidence. Through her agitated color fields, affecting textures, and power words, Marks seeks integration and transcendence based in honesty and emotional freedom.
2024
I am an artist, and I’m at the point in my life where I can dedicate my life to this passion. I worked many years in the mental health field (as a therapist and an art therapist), and these experiences inform my art process. My goal is to shine a light on what we feel we need to keep hidden and to represent imagery that help others feel seen and heard. There are so many stigmas I want to eliminate to no one has to hide who they really are. I do this in a variety of media and modalities, such as sculpture, found object work, collage, writing, painting and other mixed media combinations.
2023
Opulent Mobility began with A. Laura Brody's first mobility artwork in 2009 and expanded to a small group exhibit in 2013. The 2015-2021 exhibits included artists from all around the US and the world.
Opulent Mobility is fiscally sponsored by Fractured Atlas, so any donations to help us grow are tax deductible. Let's re*imagine mobility, disability and accessibility together!
LUCILLE TEPPERMAN
MARCH 19, 2022
A work by Monica Marks shows a mask on a podium with a shiny silver face on one side, while the other side is lined with pills. An art therapist who is open about her struggle with anxiety and depression, Marks said, “My artwork shines a light on identities, disabilities, and differences that are often kept hidden from the public.”
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“As we come out of our shells (from the pandemic), it’s especially nice to have an exhibit about understanding the diversity of people around us; it gently opens up a dialogue,” said program coordinator Victoria May. “Many visitors have been sharing a response of empathy, which is something the world needs more of.”
2021
I am most proud of being authentic in my art and addressing issues that people don’t usually talk about. For example, it has been taboo to be open about emotional issues and mental illness and about asking for help, and I am not afraid to discuss that through my art and writing. I want my art to be accessible and understood but also open to personal interpretation, to reflect what people are hiding and don’t feel safe to share. I aim to disable the structure and stigma that prevents people from being safe to share who they really are.
