Marina Rolfe is one of our favourite young creatives working out of Melbourne. Drawing inspiration from landscapes, Marina turns small details from the natural world into abstract, colourful paintings — where beauty is in the eye of the beholder.

The Russian-born artist’s latest solo show ‘Looking back to see if they still look back at me’ opens tonight at ARC ONE Gallery, revealing the 11 paintings she’s created over the past year.

‘There were some very late nights and very early mornings, and I take pride in the process of reaching this point,’ Marina says.

This new collection of works builds on her flourishing practice, having graduated from the Victorian College of the Arts (VCA) in 2022.

She often works from her studio in silence, leaning into the flow-state trance that comes with painting from intuition and intention. Everything from a field of lavender, a rugged cliff face, or a mountain trail is subtly woven into her layered compositions, characterised by her unique mark-making, emotive colour palette, and painterly brushstrokes.

But Marina says her work is less about the visions that are channelled into the painting, and more about what the viewer takes away from the art.

‘When people come to the show, I hope they experience at least a little sense of wonder, and they might even go on a journey of introspection and imagination,’ she adds.

See ‘Looking back to see if they still look back at me’ at ARC ONE Gallery from May 15 – June 15. 

ARC ONE Gallery
45 Flinders Lane
Melbourne, VIC 3000