Maya Grkow

Artist Statement

With the time that we are currently in, and with everything that is going around us. I think we need to look at things from a different perspective, in order to find the light. Yes, we all have those days where it feels like we are lost, deep, down inside, a dark hole, but when we make the most of the situation, it really doesn’t seem as bad as it would seem; almost beautiful.
It is hard to find beauty at such a hard time in life, as we are limited; lost inside the chaos from our own heads that just keeps growing. But I feel like these past months have made me realize where I want to go in life, it has made me grow and develop in ways I would never have imagined. To reflect on the past, and to try new things. …
At the beginning of isolation, I felt a deep loss and yearning, towards the life I was about to leave behind; my job, my studio/workshop at university, as well as my friends. It was as if my whole life had been turned upside down, with no insight as to what beholds for me on the other side, of this deep, dark and long tunnel.
This is when I began to draw.
Having predominantly worked with sculptures, I began to find a light and joy in a medium I had never enjoyed before.
But to say, that I had just learnt to draw over isolation, would be an understatement; as it had taught me a whole lot more than that.
For the first time since year 12, it had enabled me to reflect on the past, and realise where I would like to head towards in life. To make me a stronger person than I was before isolation; by being able to see life as more than just school and work, but an opportunity to shine, and to now have the courage to try new things.

Artist Bio

Maya Grkow is an emerging artist predominately working in sculpture and installation. She loves art that is impulsive, natural, experimental and messy. She is inspired by nature, the everyday life and fascinated by themes of transformation /and naturalism; the way materials have underlying beauty unseen by the common eye. In her sculptural works, she predominantly uses organic materials, forms and shapes and is particularly drawn to simplistic materials such as cardboard, paper and recyclable materials. But she loves to work and experiment with new materials and technology that help build her practice and develop new skills.