Maria Alekseev
Artist Statement
My artwork as an NYC-based abstract surrealist painter and printmaker is driven by challenges from the human body, its beauty, despair, and limitations. I delve into the darker aspects of human emotions and the complexities of self-identity and societal expectations.
I create dark images that depict scenes from my dreams and a collection of experiences and curiosities. My work, often portraits, depict haunting poised figures, with elements of the circus, patterns, vibrant colors, and surreal twists. To achieve this, I blend figurative and abstract forms, imagery from hypnopompic hallucinations, personal experiences and other conspicuous elements, resulting in pieces that are unexpected yet beautiful. Using a variety of mediums such as charcoal, watercolor, acrylics, and inks, I make large to medium-sized mixed media paintings on stretched raw canvas or paper, as well as smaller intaglio etching prints.
The elements of preserving experiences, history, costume, and traditions play a crucial role in my vision. A prominent theme in my art is the use of prisms or rainbows to symbolize the manipulation and distortion of light often found in my dreams. The circus serves as a representation for my past, present, and dreams, and allows me to examine the idea of “freaks of nature” in relation to myself. Using metaphors while leaving space for ambiguous thoughts, I choose my topics with authenticity, true to my experiences and personal stories.
Through my work, I aim to encourage viewers to confront their own fears, better understand themselves, unravel the beauty and complexity of others, make sense of irrational thoughts, while appreciating the beauty and diversity of our lives, cultures, and traditions. I invite you to explore my work, and to find the space within it for you to reflect on your own thoughts and experiences.
BIO
Maria Alekseev is an Italian American painter, printmaker, and arts educator born and raised in New York City. Although based in NYC, she maintains a strong connection to New York’s Hudson Valley, where her family lives and where she has spent time since childhood.
Maria earned a BFA in Printmaking from Pratt Institute, along with degrees in Photography and Advertising Design from F.I.T. Her artistic training also includes additional studies at The Cooper Union, The New School, and the Lower East Side Printshop. Alongside her studio practice, Maria has worked as an arts educator, leading fine art courses and workshops for adults through nonprofit arts organizations, community art centers, NYC schools, and private instruction.
Raised in a family immersed in music and craftsmanship, Maria spent more than fifteen years studying dance and also explored music through the flute during her youth. Her artistic abilities were recognized at the age of five with a painting award and publication in The Daily News. Her grandfather, a WWII Battle of the Bulge veteran, was both a master tailor and accomplished jazz musician, while her father performed in a doo-wop group before pursuing a career in architecture. This rich creative environment fostered an early appreciation for artistic expression and craftsmanship that continues to influence her today.
Health challenges have also shaped Maria’s artistic practice. Years of living with a severe digestive illness led her to embrace the physicality of acids and metals in the intaglio process. She also works with a progressive movement disorder that affects her daily life and artistic process, requiring her to continually adapt the way she creates.
Human perception of the body is so acute and knowledgeable that the smallest hint of a body can trigger recognition.
—Jenny Saville