Maya Golyshkina is a self-taught artist whose biggest inspiration comes from what’s round her. Extra particularly, the family objects – baggage, cardboard containers, something actually – that she will be able to snip up, rip up, tape up and switch right into a fantastical creation. In her palms, the extraordinary turns into theatrical. “I largely use every thing I see round me, whether or not it is from my home or outdoors,” she says. “Something I come throughout can encourage me, and I at all times give you one thing and create magic out of it.”
Born in Moscow, Maya knew she was inventive from a younger age. She went to artwork faculty for youths across the age of 12, after which she labored as a painter, photographer and sculptor – “at all times on the lookout for one thing new,” she says. When lockdown occurred, and he or she discovered herself caught at residence, she sought a brand new method to categorical herself and to channel her artistry. All of it kicked off at 18, earlier than she “blew up” on-line a 12 months later. Aged 21, she left her homeland for London and commenced her inventive profession. Since then, her work has developed right into a playful, joyfully performative type of self-portraiture.
Throughout her portfolio, there’s a medley of media, from digital print-outs of her face to window shows and large-scale cardboard sculptures that she will be able to sit in. A standout piece is a collaboration she did with Ed Curtis, a London-based artist and designer recognized for hand-painted ‘wearable artwork’, that always options daring smiley faces and lavish color palettes. As an extended admirer of his work, Maya was excited by this chance and dove proper into the assembly to develop the idea.
The result’s a hot-air-balloon-shaped construction made from cardboard, with materials gushing over the ground and protecting the place the balloon and basket could be. The prints are in signature Ed Curtis fashion, that’s wacky, spirally and mismatched in the very best method. “I actually loved engaged on it, and I believe it turned out to be very whimsical, extraordinary and humorous,” she says. “I simply felt like his world could be higher displayed in a circus ambiance, and we acquired an ideal match right here.” It is onerous to not see the similarities between them – each create these magnificent worlds with their palms.
One other venture is a collaboration with Luncheon journal for its no. 16 challenge. Centred on meals, the journal requested Maya to create her personal menu. “I did not hesitate and instantly considered presenting myself as totally different merchandise and kinds of meals,” she says. “I recreated the concept in my thoughts after which introduced it to life utilizing my bed room and the mattress, with the assistance of some assistants.”
Shot in an outdated Dalston flat she used to reside in just a few years in the past, the sequence sees Maya’s head poking out of a pizza field, the pizza itself painted, however the basil and chips wanting very a lot actual. There is a spaghetti bolognese sculpture so massive she will be able to sit within the pan whereas it sizzles and oozes on the ground; a fish head lower out of paper, paired with salad leaves, tomatoes and lemon; a pastel-tinted cupcake made from pleated folds, Maya’s head because the cherry; and a juicy-looking cocktail with a lower out part within the center, excellent for Maya to take a sip from. Every part’s made from paper.
She’s additionally labored with Marc Jacobs on an Instagram venture, creating a sequence of extra-large baggage paired with their matching real-life counterparts. The works are adorned by hand, the place you’ll be able to see every scribble and scissor lower – including to the joyous texture of her work. Subsequent up, she has plans to launch her first-ever ebook, plus just a few extra initiatives for magazines, manufacturers and galleries.
These creations are a lesson in being your self and letting your inventive voice shine by means of. And when requested how she desires her viewers to react, she says: “Simply do not be scared to be your self.”
