Alex Marks

Alex Marks (b. 1978, Toronto) is a Canadian-American painter whose practice investigates the metaphysical dimensions of identity and the subconscious. A graduate of OCAD University’s Fine Arts program, Marks works at the intersection of naturalism and abstraction, employing a vivid, gestural palette to construct compositions that oscillate between the familiar and the uncanny.

In 2023, Marks initiated a shift toward figuration with Nonpareil, a series of works on paper that examine the concept of individuality. Each portrait presents the subject as a singular presence—unrepeatable and irreducible—prompting reflection on the nature of personal identity.

This inquiry deepened in Chimera (2024), a series that embraces transformation and multiplicity. The mythological chimera becomes, in Marks’s hands, a metaphor for the self in flux—instinctual, layered, and constantly evolving.

Later that year, The Sisters marked a turn toward relational dynamics through depictions of sibling pairs and groups. These works explore the emotional complexity of familial bonds, bringing together themes of intimacy, rivalry, and resilience.

With Locus (2024), Marks shifted focus from the figure to the environment, considering the reciprocal relationship between identity and place. These paintings expand his conceptual framework, inviting viewers to contemplate how landscapes are internalized and, in turn, how they reflect human presence.

In 2025, Origin signals a return to abstraction, this time through a more elemental lens. This series engages with gesture, colour, and movement to access a deeper, intuitive register. Origin suggests a space before language and form—a primal field in which subconscious rhythms emerge.