Danish artist Mariann Munck paints fantastical landscapes and still lifes that blur the line between magic and reality. Her latest series features long narrow islands hanging in space, with tall trees protruding from the ground, waterfalls, and flowers set against giant suns and dense banks of clouds. The paintings depict solitary women who are either sitting in quiet contemplation of their environment, or engaged in activities such as fishing, jumping, or surfing. The figures represent women as a whole, who finally have the chance to experience unlimited freedom and embark on a journey beyond the known.

However, although the universes created by Munck seem to be suspended in an eternal dimension that transcends space and time, the boundaries between the real and imaginary are ever fragile. Her floating islands could drop at any moment, pulled by a gravitational force that seems to have taken a pause, but may be triggered when we least expect it. The female figures are dangerously close to the edge of a cliff, their legs dangling into the void, or about to slip into a body of water. Amidst patches of flowers, oversized moons, and enchanted forests, we see a precariousness in the idyll, as ocean waves crash into the abyss and tree branches hang below ground level. By exploring themes of escape, liberation, and impermanence, Munck sheds light on the frailty of the human condition and the natural world.

Munck has a Bachelor in Art History and a Master in Film and Media Science from the University of Copenhagen. She participated in solo and group exhibitions in Denmark and Italy, where she frequently travels. Alongside her art practice, she works as a TV producer at the Danish Broadcasting Corporation in Copenhagen.