Artist Statement & Brief Bio: 

Mária Machatová

Studies:

1997 | Graduated from the Academy of Fine Art and Design in Bratislava

1996 | PG Cert in Pedagogy and Practice received from the Academy of Fine Art and Design in Bratislava

1995 | Student Exchange Program at Slippery Rock University, USA

Work and Teaching Experience:

I have held teaching positions at the Private High School of Design and the Secondary School of Applied Arts in Bratislava, as well as the Private Design High School of Arts in Nitra. Additionally, I served as an assistant in the Department of Painting at the Academy of Fine Arts in Banská Bystrica. Beyond teaching, I have conducted art courses at the French International School and the French Institute in Bratislava, and at Atelier Tanneurs in Brussels. My experience also includes working as an artist’s assistant in Camargue, France. I have lived and worked as a freelance artist in southern France, Brussels, and Slovakia for many years, always dedicating myself to my artistic practice.

Artistic Inspiration and Themes:

My work is often inspired by the environments in which I have lived. For instance, in the Camargue, I was fascinated by the expansive landscapes with wide horizons and ever-changing skies. Here, I experimented with the perception of landscapes transforming into semi-abstract shapes as viewed from a moving car. I also explored the juxtaposition of actual landscapes against the graphical symbols of GPS, capturing specific moments where time and place converge. Such themes poetically underline the transient moments of our lives. In the beach scenes from southern France, I captured the joyful dynamics of people interacting with the sea and sun, highlighting the meditative quality of these moments.

From intimacy to urban exploration, my series of paintings capture diverse themes. They include the portrayal of simple, everyday moments through the lens of a female figure engaging in activities such as bathing and dressing, aiming to convey a sense of safety and relaxation at home. Additionally, my interest in the interplay between body shapes and drapery continues a dialogue with art history, echoing the traditions of ancient Greek sculpture and painting.

In landscapes reminiscent of Romanticism and juxtaposed with urban peripheries, I reflect on everyday realities and mundane details, transforming them through my compositions into new visual harmonies. The existential undertones in these works connect with themes from artists like Edward Hopper, revealing beauty in the mundane.

Moreover, my walks past flea markets in Brussels inspired reflections on the random interplay of consumer goods and family values, creating bizarre still lifes that suggest personal stories and highlight the complexities of today’s globalized, multicultural society.