Mary Stack

Mary Stack’s latest exhibition transforms the everyday into something quietly profound. A Sydney-based artist, Mary draws on the still-life tradition to examine perception and explore the balance between order and disruption. Her precise and deeply considered paintings elevate humble, familiar objects, uncovering moments of unexpected beauty. With exhibitions at CBD Gallery and Sydney Contemporary, and recognition as a finalist in the 2024 National Emerging Art Prize, Mary is establishing herself as an exciting voice in contemporary Australian art.

Mary’s path to painting is as distinctive as her work. A former lawyer, she shifted her focus to art in 2012, completing her Bachelor of Fine Arts in 2023. Her background lends her practice a thoughtful, analytical edge, balanced by a finely tuned sense of observation. This dual sensibility is evident in her current series, which brings together trompe l’œil techniques, fabric folds, and grid structures in a fresh take on art historical traditions.

Her paintings isolate ordinary objects—handkerchiefs, tea towels—rendering them with luminous detail and striking depth. The folds and creases of fabric, marked by subtle traces of human touch, introduce a visual tension between geometric order and organic irregularity. Through layers of oil paint, Mary’s work blurs the boundary between what is real and what is illusion, inviting the viewer to consider how space and material are represented.

This exhibition is an intimate meditation on how we see and what we notice. Mary’s paintings go beyond representation, encouraging quiet reflection on the overlooked and the everyday. Her work calls us to pause, observe, and discover the quiet poetry embedded in even the simplest forms.