About Mara
Marija Stefanovic - Mara is a contemporary symbolic and surrealist painter exploring the subconscious through visual metaphors.
Working between figuration, abstraction and surrealism, she is interested in the spaces where inner and outer worlds begin to dissolve: where body, landscapes and organic forms become visual metaphors for emotions and experiences that are difficult to articulate.
Her paintings explore themes of vulnerability, transformation, memory, impermanence, and regeneration. Rather than illustrating these ideas directly, Mara uses metaphor, ambiguity and recurring natural forms to create images that invite multiple interpretations. Plants, shells, insects, human anatomy, and other organic elements appear and transform, becoming part of a visual language through which psychological and emotional states can be explored.
Introspection is central to her process. This is a journey into the states of mind and heart that demand attention, release, or transformation. Many works begin with an image, sensation or fragment that emerges intuitively, often before its meaning is fully understood. Painting then becomes a process of (self) discovery: a way of following these images into the subconscious and allowing connections to develop through the creative process.
Materials are an important part of this process. Mara works with oil paint and natural, earth-pigment based watercolors, handmade paper, botanical materials and other organic elements. She is drawn to materials that carry their own history and unpredictability, allowing processes of reuse and transformation to become part of the work itself.
Alongside her studio practice, Mara is committed to deepening her understanding of the relationship between visual art, the subconscious, and emotional healing. Through her ongoing studies and practice in art therapy, she continues to explore the transformative potential of the creative process, not only as a personal path, but as a means of supporting others on their own journeys.