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InspirationArt & Culture

Science Friction: the surreal and sinister worlds of artist Marisa Cole

Born in Salt Lake City and now living in Seattle, Marisa Cole is a transgender artist whose work has been exhibited in 15 different gallery and museum exhibitions since the 1990s. She also works as a 3D animator and has published an adult colouring book called Secrete Gluon.

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Surreal illustration depicting oversized cartoon figures and children playing with toys and a hot rod car on a suburban street beneath a blue sky with white clouds

Cole's style, which she describes as "pop surrealist", is certainly distinctive. Her work draws on fantasy, sci-fi and religious tropes, gaudy comic book traditions and an erotic fascination with body parts, and combines them in a way that offers a unique, compelling and sinister view of the world.

She notes sardonically that, "I have exhibited in group shows with H.R. Giger, Ernst Fuchs, Marion Peck, Mark Ryden, Eric White, Javier Ortega, and Dali; alas, never really caught up to them." Well, maybe there's time for that yet...

Woman with grey hair in school uniform holding a severed head in a garden with blooming flowers, large tree and cherub statue under blue sky
A muscular figure sits at a cluttered desk surrounded by mechanical parts and occult symbols, with surreal apocalyptic paintings visible on the wall behind
A blonde child in a pink swimsuit holding a parasol stands on a ledge facing a menacing grey creature with sharp teeth and claws, with a gingerbread house and cloudy sky behind them
Surreal pop art collage by Marisa Cole featuring a grotesque winged figure with skull imagery, surrounded by vintage newspaper clippings, anatomical elements and vibrant pink and blue tones.
A woman in a white jacket with blue hair operates a mechanical device on a shirtless man's torso whilst a small robot watches in an ornate room with pink curtains and patterned floor
Ornate golden robot with blue accents stands beside a frozen waterfall and birch trees in a surreal landscape
A blonde child in pink sits on a bed reaching for a colorful spinning top, with a teddy bear and bird perched above against a turquoise moon and starry night sky
Three angelic figures with blonde hair stand among birch trees in a surreal landscape, with one holding a megaphone and another dressed as an astronaut
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