Portrait

MLAK (Karlee Mackie) is a Byron Bay-based artist whose work exists in a dreamlike realm of surrealism, symbolism, and raw self-expression. Her paintings are a fusion of myth, nostalgia, and subconscious storytelling, often featuring bold yet playful figures, otherworldly animals, and cryptic visual poetry. Her compositions, often infused with bold color blocking, unexpected textures, and layered iconography, evoke an almost hallucinatory presence—a universe where cowgirl cats, golden crabs, and masked tigers coexist in a strange, electric harmony. Through her work, MLAK explores femininity, intuition, and the blurred space between the seen and unseen.