Michael Stiegler
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.
Michael studied fashion design and worked as a photographer’s assistant in Sydney and NYC. His frenetic painting, illustrations and mixed media compliment his edgy photographic style, as his surrounds heavily influence each discipline.
His works combine his appetite for art, fashion and photography with an energetic street-art appeal where he says, ugliness and beauty coexist, just as they do in reality. Michael uses his works as commentary on the excess of contemporary culture, portraying the vulnerability, desire, anxiety and lust for consumption in a modern world.
His works combine his appetite for art, fashion and photography with an energetic street-art appeal where he says, ugliness and beauty coexist, just as they do in reality. Michael uses his works as commentary on the excess of contemporary culture, portraying the vulnerability, desire, anxiety and lust for consumption in a modern world.