What Will the '20s Look Like? A New Exhibit May Provide Some Clues

From spending an entire day at the Hype House TikTok mansion and taking photos of the social platform's biggest stars for Dazed to creative directing a campaign for Marc Jacobs, Marks' portfolio spans across many realms of mainstream entertainment; however, her signature look remains instantly identifiable regardless of the artistic genre.

"The overarching aesthetic in my work might be observing and documenting everyday people and behaviors," she tells PAPER. "Translating that for brands isn't exactly straightforward for many commercial contexts, but I am grateful for art directors, clients and designers who appreciate my approach and believe I can enhance the product or idea of what they are trying to achieve, to something a bit different and less serious."

Now, for her latest venture, Marks is linking up Ganni during Copenhagen Fashion Week, which kicked off yesterday. The 28-year-old is working in tandem with the Danish fashion label to showcase her work in an eye-opening exhibition titled, "GANNI 202020." Over three days, Ganni will feature the work of several artists, all of which explore the question of what this new decade is going to be like. (They decided to skip a runway show this season.)

"Ganni 202020 is a creative collective we started off in January this year," says the brand's creative director Ditte Reffstrup. "Our Copenhagen Fashion exhibition is a further exploration of that creative energy, drawing on different perspectives from around the world. It feels like now more than ever, we need to work together and create in new ways. Not doing a show this season just feels right. I am excited to hit refresh and do something totally different, a longer format that is also open to everyone in our community."

In Marks' corner of the exhibition, the focus lies primarily on uplifting the voices of everyday people, specifically through the usage of cardboard cutouts. Given the tumultuous start to the decade that Ganni is trying to decipher through its fashion week installation, Marks turned to her signature subject — the everyday woman — to forecast the years to come, and she was given free reign to explore the future through Ganni's latest collection.

"It was a fun project to work on, especially as my first after lockdown," she says. "I worked with Gabrielle Lawrence at People File to cast a group of women from around London. We shot in my garden, with just myself and stylist Flo Arnold with Ganni clothes — current season and archive Ganni. [They] gave me carte Blanche to do my thing and were very trusting. Cardboard cutouts are usually reserved for celebrities or other people of significance or for effect. I wanted to immortalize these women as cutouts, the ordinary are the extraordinary."

Starting today, Marks' concept comes to life at GANNI 202020 next to the work of choreographer Maria "Decida" Wahlberg, journalist Marjon Carlos, producer Mobilegirl, DJ Ouri, photographer Jakob Landvik and artist Hayley Blomquist. Amid the seven installations, Marks' unequivocal authenticity complements that of the various other mediums presented, all the while putting Ganni's latest styles at the forefront of the installation.

Looking ahead, Marks hopes to continue documenting the world's unfiltered realness and life's fascinating-yet-mundane moments through her camera. "My pictures I think are a nod to the world we live in, the banality, the characters, the absurdity, the tenderness, the madness, and most importantly the beauty of it all," she says.

If you happen to be in Copenhagen, you can book a curated visit to see Marks' work alongside several other artists for yourself from August 11-12. You can also experience GANNI 202020 digitally, here.

Photos courtesy of Ganni