After finishing my studies at the Faculty of Arts of University of Maribor, I did not stop creating; at this point I had just begun. I often get so dramatic when I don’t feel inspired. Sometimes I force myself to make something. But there are also times – weeks, even months where I don’t create a single drawing or other work of art.

I express myself in several areas of visual art. While creating, I always discover new qualities over and over again and try to include them in some unique, recognizable new form of art. I’m always inspired by life. People and their habits are very interesting to me. I draw inspiration from everyday life and occasions. The ones which are the hardest, are those that are rough and undesirable at first glance. To sound cliché; all experiences are gifts; in the end, I take advantage of bad situations and turn them into a new piece of work; I pour emotions out on a canvas, paper, any medium. That’s the only way I can function and grow. While creating, the only limit is the edge of the surface.

For me, bodies are very inspiring and poetic. You can learn so much about people from reading their body language and observing the gesticulation of their hands. I often make oversized bodies. I like to draw them, I really think they are beautiful. All bodies are! I see making art as a therapeutic outlet for some of the negative experiences with my own body image and hope that women going through similar things will relate to it. A woman’s body is certainly something I can personally relate to. The representation of it is constantly present in our society and the body is not always treated right.

I have named the woman in my works; she is called LULU Noema. She is a gender-bending character of my artwork. Lulu is probably my alter ego. Lulu is all women in one. She has a message for you:
You can be anything you want to be.

I draw motivation from magazines. I am a huge movie lover. I often stop the film and borrow the scenes, poses of people in it and capture them with some of my drawing tools. I like drawing by model. For most people, my ‘drawing characters’ are a naked, erotic female body, they are seen as objects. For me, the form of the body is much more than that, it is poetic and aesthetic. It is a piece of art.

More than a full table at a gala dinner, I am attracted to the ‘aesthetics’ of leftovers and the hands of the people at the table. I do not like artificial perfection. Perfection bores me. I like to maintain a different outlook on things. I am somehow afraid of illustration. I do not like to work in a time-based environment or by a certain criteria.

These days I am more into drawing. Also painting. A few years ago, I was obsessed with making collages. This is absolutely Matisse’s fault. I like to “draw” with scissors and also needles. Sometimes I take fabric as a medium. My embroideries are probably inspired by Louise Bourgeois who is very dear to me.

I am deeply influenced by Matisse, Picasso, Georgia O’Keeffe, Lousie Bourgeois, Milton Avery, Marina Abramović, David Hockney, Egon Schiele, Ingmar Bergman…

Lately, I’ve been working on my – let’s say – own brand, named By m a r t i n a AMBROŽ.
By m a r t i n a AMBROŽ is the idea of a ‘personal’ project (never finished) ‘to combine artistic with functional’. By m a r t i n a AMBROŽ are products of applied art: back to basics GENDERLESS white T-shirts, oversized sweatshirts and tote bags, even second-hand shirts and other clothing, to which I add some new dimension and value with embroidered drawings, mostly of female bodies. The way you use them and for what occasion is up to you, much like the artwork always ends with the viewer’s interpretation.

If I had to describe my artistic journey with words, I would probably say:
The self-doubt. High hopes. The long nights. The hidden gift of grief. Inner voice. My soul. The Dream.

Who would understand me, right? 🙂 I hope you are enjoying my pieces. Let my art do most of the talking.

Sincerely, martina

 

Martina Ambrož, multimedia artist

dreaming s i n c e 1990
martinaambroz.com
martina.ambroz@gmail.com
FB / IG bymartinaambroz