Madelynn Austin


Master of Arts in Visual and Critical Studies

Madelynn Austin is an interdisciplinary artist that examines the use and limits of cosmetics through the lens of legacy, environment, disability, and emotional intelligence. With the COVID-19 pandemic, painting on faces as a traditional makeup artist became a safety risk—Madelynn chose to use this as an opportunity to bridge the gap between makeup and fine art. Her conceptual visual works are made with expired cosmetics to expand abstraction through flatworks, installation, and sculpture. She lives and works in the in-between of Chicago and Milwaukee.