Maja Maljevic

Maja Maljević (b. 1973, Belgrade, Serbia) is a multidisciplinary artist currently living and working in Johannesburg, South Africa. After completing her Masters in Fine Art at the University of Belgrade in 1999, she relocated to South Africa in 2000 to escape political turmoil in her homeland. Since then, Maljević has been refining her unique style that merges gestural abstraction with a vibrant palette.

Maljević begins her creative process by 'dirtying' the canvas with bright paint, breaking the starkness of the white surface and creating a foundation her intuitive jigsaw of colours and shapes. She meticulously builds up surfaces with drips, blocks, bands, and waves of colour, seeking harmony between form, line and detail. Physical movement is integral to her method, ensuring her compositions remain dynamic and engaging.

Drawing inspiration from German Expressionists and modern artists like Philip Guston, Cy Twombly, and Jean-Michel Basquiat, Maljević's work reflects her diverse influences. She integrates fragments of contemporary life into her work without dictating their significance, allowing viewers to find their own meanings. Her art spans painting, printmaking, and sculpture, always striving for coherence and interplay between conflicting elements.

Maja Maljević’s art is a visual symphony of figurative and abstract, organic and geometric, obvious and elusive elements. Through her works, she aims to create a visual language that resonates with the viewer, much like music communicates emotion through sound.