Masha Marjanovich
Mediums Used
Before receiving her MFA from the University of Washington, Masha Marjanovich studied European art in France, Hungary and Serbia. These classical influences firmly rooted her art in the realm of figurative expressionism, allowing for stylistic versatility that nevertheless retains her signature aesthetic of the sculptural form. Her study of music and dance helped Masha to master the skill of expressive movement, which makes her sculptures breathe with life.
Masha mastered the mediums of terracotta, cast resin, cast stone and bronze. She exhibited her works in Seattle, Los Angeles, Santa Fe and Sydney. Her graceful and expressive forms attracted the interest of private collectors. Her sculptures now grace public and private collections in the US, Europe and Australia. Her clients include Sheraton Hotels, Ramsay Hospitals, Sydney Olympics Committee, Laguna Beach Hotel, University of Queensland, the Canberra Women and Children’s Hospital, Seketin Beauty Salon, Roma Italian Restaurant, The Little Snail Restaurant, Dr. Harold Lancer, Dr. David Villareal, Lang Walker, and others. Masha is also a skilled portrait sculptor. She was invited to create the monumental portrait of the Indigenous Australian hero, Pemulwuy. This sculpture has been acknowledged by the academic as well as the Indigenous communities, and is featured in numerous books, textbooks, museum and educational websites.
Masha is a professional member of the International Sculpture Center.
Excerpt from the Interview with Masha Marjanovich by D. Bombek, the New Woman Magazine.
Q: Who should say what is art and what isn`t?
A: This has been a topic of debates since the advent of abstract art. Ultimately, art is a medium of communication. Artwork should speak to whoever views it, and it is valid if someone perceives it as meaningful or appealing. In that sense, everyone has the right to subjectively value and assess art. But good art is only that which succeeds to communicate to the audience exactly what the artist intended to convey. All other aspects of evaluating art are purely scholastic.
Q: What inspires you?
A: I am always amazed at the beauty found in nature, where form and function are intertwined in an aesthetic balance. The shape of a woman`s slender arm, a sweeping wing of a bird, a delicate flower petal, these forms are not only beautiful, but very expressive as well. They can relate a rich tapestry of emotions and experiences to which everyone can relate.
Sculptures by Masha Marjanovich
Credentials
Qualifications
MFA University of Washington
Awards
National Museum of Australia permanent collection
City of Parramatta public artworks collection
Museum of Ceramic Art permanent collectionPublications
Boomerang - by Jesper Kaalund and Bo Clausen, Columbus, 2023
Heroes, Rebels and Radicals of Convict Australia - by Jim Haynes,
Allen & Unwin, 2023
Living With the Locals - by John Maynard And Victoria Haskins, National
Library of Australia, 2016
What Do We Want: The Story of Protest in Australia - by Clive Hamilton,
National Library of Australia, 2016
First Contacts, by Carolyn Tate, Blake Education Publishing
National Museum of Australia Digital Classroom
City of Parramatta - History and Heritage website
Art + Soul - documentary, by Hetti Perkins, Australia
Pemulwuy: Aboriginal Guerrilla Warrior - by Heroes and Legends
Documentary Channel, YouTube
Los Angeles Times
Seattle Post Intelligencer
Canberra Times
Sydney Morning Herald
Gold Coast Bulletin
Australian Art Collector Magazine
NIN, Serbia
Australian Dictionary of Biography
Monument Australia
Zena 21
Camille Claudel, Brancucci, Celini, Canova
Star Treatment - by Claire Low, The Canberra Times
Sculptor Masha Marjanovich has created the 1.2m-high bronze work for the new Canberra Women and Children`s Hospital. It was commissioned by the Starlight Children`s Foundation and was presented to ACT Health Minister Kathy Gallagher at the Star Ball fundraising event at the Hotel Realm.
Marjanovich said the sculpture is a tribute to the charitable work of the Foundation. In her sculpture, the woman holding the child symbolically represents the support of the Foundation for seriously ill children. "The child is reaching for a star, a symbol of hope for recovery. The sculpture is an ode to a new start in life for children, " said Marjanovich. She explained that the star was designed to gently curve around the figures as it rises, so that the sculpture would impart an uplifting feeling of hope and joy.
Companies that pledge their support to the Foundation will be given a star plaque on the sculpture base to honour their generosity.
Reaching for a Star is part of Marjanovich`s mother and child series, which includes sculptures at the North Shore Private Hospital in Sydney and Lancer Clinic in Beverly Hills. "Mother and child motif is one of the oldest themes in art history, because it relates the most beautiful human experience, unconditional love, " said Marjanovich.
Reaching for a Star will be unveiled at the new Women and Children`s Hospital next year.
North Shore Private Hospital, Sydney
Women and Children`s Hospital, Canberra
Sydney Olympics 2000
