My paintings are based on cinematic images with an element of fantasy to consider how female identity is both engrained and fictional. I am inspired by iconic Hollywood figures such as Marilyn Monroe, Judy Garland, and Brittany Murphy who represent both female determination and tragedy, as the systems of power in which they worked are inseparable from their success and abuse. I often blur the boundaries between forms, distort information, and exaggerate color choices. My hand is visible in my work to draw attention back to my body and suggest that particular bodies perform by prescriptive measures. In my work, I question where the line between nature and free will is drawn and how we shape our own narratives. These strategies evoke an interior psychological dialogue, that aims to give agency back to the subjects.
​
Marina Ross (she/her) is an artist living and working in Chicago. She was born in the former Soviet Union (present-day Moldova) and moved to Chicago as a child. She earned her Bachelor of Fine Arts in Painting from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign in 2012 and her Master of Fine Arts in Painting and Ceramics from the University of Iowa in 2018. In 2017, she received the Stanley Award for International Travel to live and work at the Saint Petersburg Artist Residency in Saint Petersburg, Russia. Her work has been shown in New York at Cheryl Hazan Gallery, The BogArt, and Brooklyn Fire Proof and in Chicago at Heaven Gallery, Baby Blue Gallery and the Zhou B. Arts Center.