Subterfuge

Marina Ross’ paintings are layered, emotionally charged reinterpretations of iconic imagery from The Wizard of Oz, reframed through personal grief, cultural memory, and the performance of femininity. Born in the former Soviet Union and raised in Chicago, Ross draws on her experiences of acculturation and the complexities of the American Dream. Within her work, The Wizard of Oz becomes a metaphor for immortality — a cinematic illusion that endures even as it confronts the impermanence of nature and the inevitability of loss. Ross’ palette, dominated by ethereal teals and greens, evokes nostalgia and otherworldliness. These recurring hues, reminiscent of oxidized patina on aged architecture, mirror cinema’s ability to transcend time. Through a process of layering, blending, and softening backgrounds against more insistent brushstrokes, Ross destabilizes familiar imagery, allowing ghostly echoes of the film to surface. Figures such as Dorothy may appear blurred, partially erased, or obscured, underscoring themes of fragility, repetition, and emotional dissociation. The result is a body of work that dissolves the boundaries between past and present, inviting viewers into a collective meditation on grief, memory, and healing.