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Maja Novak / Contemporary Artist 

Based in Leeds, U.K. 
/ Slovenia 

Working worldwide. 

 

About 

 

I am an artist-researcher, working with space, environment, sculpture and organic matter. 

Using clay as a medium for philosophical enquiry into the nature of matter, I knead and stretch materials to the limit, exposing questions of function, (dis)order, containing, grasping, expansion, contraction, emptiness, breathing and being human.

I am interested in the changes in the ecosystem, the causes and reasons behind and how we can spread awareness about climate change through art.

My work often explores the tactile qualities of experimental working with natural materials, and how the process itself can be used in contributing towards communities' wellbeing, care and sense of presence through grounding.

Experimentation is at the heart of my practice, and I often combine found natural materials and plants, with widely used art materials, exposing primal qualities, processes and makers marks. 

I understand art as a living organism, constantly changing, transforming, moving, growing and simultaneously decaying. This inspires methods I use in my work – my sculptures are hybrid and impermanent, inspired by natural cycles and often re-made into new work.

Through sculptures, vessels, body casts, places and spaces, I am inspired to evoke connections between the known and familiar – towards the mystical concepts and the potential for insights we are surrounded by in life.

My work explores ideas of the way we live and questions how we treat the planet and environment.

I make installations, situations and objects that evoke human connection, and encourage awareness of our relationships towards living things, the land and nature. 

I believe using hands to create, make, destroy and re-create is one of the primal acts of humanity. My continuous interest in the primal and what makes us humans results in informative bodies of work, that offer an alternative solution for healing of the planet, well-being and change – through simple practices such as making, moving, sharing and building.

For enquiries and collaborations, please get in touch. 

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