Sarah Mak

Artist Statement

I create art to untangle the contradictions, absurdities, and hypocrisies of American culture and politics. It’s an endeavor that often feels just as chaotic as the culture itself. I was born in California but moved to Australia when I was ten, and I have always existed between two perspectives. One is shaped by American ideals, and the other is influenced by a country with vastly different political and social structures. That distance has given me a lens to see the gap between how America presents itself and the reality of its influence. My work explores that tension.

There is both fascination and horror in how I see American culture. It is intoxicating in its branding, bravado, and relentless self-mythologizing. But beneath the glossy surface is a deep, unsettling undercurrent of indoctrination, division, and violence. I am especially interested in how belief systems are marketed, how propaganda shapes identities, and how social conditioning starts at a young age. Themes of grooming, American machismo, and the branding of ideologies are central to my work. My work challenges these forces by highlighting the ways they shape us, often without us even realizing it.