Marta Martynova (b. 2000, Saint Petersburg, Russia) is an artist, designer, and art director. She studied at the Faculty of Design at Saint Petersburg State University (Bachelor and Master) and at School of Design, Art Direction for Cultural Institutions at Moscow HSE University (Master).
Marta’s oeuvre focuses on emotions, feelings and meanings, working primarily in painting and graphic art. Her practice engages with legacy of abstraction, exploring how color and form shape emotions and lived experiences. A recurring focus is aesthetics of impossible forms and the beauty of nature.
Biomorphic shapes and expressive brushwork become a visual language through which she reflects on life’s complexities. Soft palettes and ethereal spaces evoke tranquility, drawing the viewer inward, while bold black strokes – piercing through the canvas like a vital nerve – mirror life itself: even amidst turbulent, ever-changing events, there’s always a thread of darkness running through.
Among the latest exhibitions: Color spectrums, Masters Bookstore, Saint Petersburg (2025), Eden, solo show, Eggz Gallery, Saint Petersburg (2024), A Touch of Pink, Ohaus Gallery, Saint Petersburg (2023). In 2023 she’s been finalist/awardee for the Parajanow-100 Contest, poster category.
Marta Martynova works and lives in Saint Petersburg.
Stan Van Steendam (b. 1985, Belgium) holds a BA and MA in Visual Arts from Luca School of Arts, Ghent, Belgium.
His artistic oeuvre stands as an enigma, challenging established notions and inviting a departure from conventional ideas. His poetic and visceral creations defy reality, resulting in delicate sculptural skill and subtle monochromatic exploration. His research, rooted in intuition, seeks to dismantle the materiality of painting through a process that involves layering raw pigments, plaster, and epoxy resin on wood. This method engenders a new conception of the pictorial tradition, fostering fresh experiences. The vertical installation of his objects evokes an architectural heritage; despite being crafted solely for observation, they possess an inherent capacity to transcend functional constraints, inviting the viewer to explore concepts of entrance, access, and exit. Traditionally associated with functionality, these ideas transform into metaphors through the viewer’s shared experiences. This notion of portals, coupled with the imagined ability to peer beyond the picture, becomes the main element of engagement provoking contemplation on configuration, composition, color, and materials.
Van Steendam significant solo and two-person shows have been held at Carvalho Park, New York, (2024); Barbé, Ghent, Belgium (2023, 2022); Jacob Bjorn Gallery, Aarhus, Denmark (2022); Uma Lulik, Lisbon, Portugal (2022); G/ART/EN, Como, Italy (2021); Galería Nordés, Santiago de Compostela, Spain (2021); Bjorn & Gundorph Gallery, Aarhus, Denmark (2021, 2020); Palazzo Monti, Brescia, Italy (2020); and Archiraar, Brussels, Belgium (2019).
Van Steendam has been a resident artist at Fondation CAB, Brussels, Belgium (2024); Marfa, Texas (2023); and Palazzo Monti, Brescia, Italy (2019); among others. Publications include Parallel, with an essay by Eugene Binder (2023); artist book Dust Road (2021); and Dust Road, with an essay by Alex Bacon (2020).
Stan Van Steendam lives and works in Brussels and Lisbon.
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