Who?

I’m Ayla Marika, a visual artist and illustrator based near Canberra and Goulburn, Australia. I specialise in hand-drawn illustration using ink pen, graphite, charcoal, as well as digital painting, print and collage. The illustration I produce is 100% hand-drawn using traditional mediums (eg pen on paper), which is then subjected to various degrees of digital manipulation. I appreciate classical drawing technique including figure and anatomical drawing, and I consider good craftsmanship and technique essential to my art production and illustration. I am excited by the artistic possibilities of books, marketing and public relations and tie these into my art practice as well.

Style

I am inspired by music (psy, rock, metal), art nouveau, nostalgic vintage stuff, early cartoons, psychedelia, and pre-modern imagery. Topics I am interested in are the subconscious mind, food, plant medicine, esoteric spirituality, and the natural environment. Artists I am influenced by and pull inspiration from include visual artists M.C. Escher, Ralph Steadman, Dalí, Hokusai, Van Gogh, Chris Ware, Brian Blomerth, Akseli Gallen-Kallela, and musicians Thom Yorke, Trent Reznor, Björk, Maynard James Keenan and Nick Cave. I am drawn to psychedelic and ‘outsider’ art because of its purity of inner expression, mental exploration and ignorance of the art establishment, and I am a sucker for optical art and excellent music album art.

Qualifications

Bachelor of Arts (Fine Art)                              2017    Curtin University of Technology

Advanced Diploma of Public Relations          2014    Canberra Institute of Technology

Certificate IV in Screen and Media                2014    Canberra Institute of Technology

Certificate IV in Business Administration       2012    Canberra Institute of Technology

Diploma of Music Industry (Technical)           2008    Canberra Institute of Technology

Diploma of Music Industry (Business)           2008    Canberra Institute of Technology

Exhibitions and Achievements

Book launch: How Food is Made                   2021    Published by Forssa Light Pubilshing read more

CityNews cover story: How Food is Made     2021    CityNews Canberra magazine read more

Finalist: SFL (Modulii) music video                2020    Canberra Short Film Festival read more

Review: SFL (Modulii) music video                2020    BMA Magazine read more

Installation: Mythinterpret Triptych                 2010    Burning Seed Festival (Burning Man Australia) read more