“Every change, every addition or subtraction can trigger a new chain of ideas. To engage in the process is to be able to lose oneself in it completely.”
The Artistic Journey of Marie Theres Madani
Born in 1993, Marie Theres Madani is a self-taught artist who currently resides and practices in Vienna, Austria. Her artistic oeuvre comprises large, sensual abstract paintings designed to elicit a visceral response from the viewer. These captivating compositions masterfully blend abstraction and expression, inviting observers to engage in a profound emotional introspection. Madani contends that painting represents pure creation emerging from apparent nothingness, possessing the power to shape and reshape reality, thus making it an integral aspect of life’s enchantment.
Throughout her career, Madani’s artwork has graced numerous galleries in Austria and garnered international attention with displays at Miami Art Week and a solo exhibition in Dubai in 2022. Her creations can be found in private collections across the globe, spanning regions such as the Middle East, Australia, Europe, the United States, and Southeast Asia. Although she initially pursued a career in law and marketing and sales, Madani discovered her genuine passion for painting several years ago. The confidence, discipline, courage, and adaptability she cultivated through her diverse experiences have significantly influenced her artistic journey. In painting, she finds her most authentic and sincere self-expression.
Employing primarily classical panel painting techniques, Madani crafts large-scale, dynamic, and expressive artworks utilizing a variety of materials, including acrylics, oils, soft pastels, charcoal, and spray paint.
The Creative Process: Emotion, Solitude, and Music
Marie Theres Madani has long been captivated by the realm of abstract art, as it transports the viewer to an alternate dimension that is not bound by logic but is rather accessible through emotion. For Madani, painting transcends mere representation of reality and instead manifests as its own unique reality. Each of her artworks embodies a living emotional space, crafted through an intuitive yet deliberate process that visualizes sensations and thoughts. Rather than narrating a linear story, her individual pieces aim to encapsulate a moment, a mood, or an atmosphere, as if frozen in time.
Madani finds her creative rhythm in solitude, often working late into the night accompanied only by her dog resting on the studio couch. Mornings are typically reserved for administrative tasks, while afternoons and evenings are dedicated to her artistic pursuits. The nocturnal hours provide Madani with fewer distractions, enabling her to concentrate and focus more effectively.
Music plays an indispensable role in Madani’s artistic process, as it allows her to tap into the specific mood she wishes to convey. Her eclectic taste spans a wide range of genres, from opera, jazz, and ambient music to hip hop and rock, each selected to suit the needs of her work at various stages.
A spacious work environment is essential for Madani, as it enables her to concurrently work on multiple pieces. Embracing a series-based approach allows her to delve deeply into her chosen subject matter, examining it from various perspectives while maintaining a core idea throughout.
The Power of Large-Scale Works and Constant Inspiration
In order to work on large format pieces, Marie Theres Madani requires a considerable room height. Engaging with artwork that surpasses her own physical limitations allows Madani to fully immerse herself in the creative process, transforming the work into an enveloping environment. This dynamic relationship involves diving into the piece and periodically stepping back to assess the overall composition.
Were it not for spatial, financial, and logistical constraints, Madani envisions creating even larger works, filling entire halls with her towering, meter-high creations. Furthermore, she aspires to establish a connection between the visually perceivable multidimensionality and an actual physical dimension. While the primary focus will remain on the painting, Madani intends to explore additional dimensions to enhance the spatial experience within her work. At present, she is diligently refining this concept.
Madani believes that inspiration is the product of hard work and regular engagement with the creative process. To invite inspiration, she consciously connects with her inner self, attending to her thoughts and emotions while fostering a sense of unity with her surroundings. This mindfulness enables her to be receptive to creative ideas. Madani’s working process, evolving and growing with curiosity and consistency, serves as a wellspring of inspiration.
The artist’s style has developed organically over time, acquiring character and substance. As her execution has grown more complex and definite, Madani’s artistic voice has remained consistent. Embracing change, adaptation, and transformation, she allows herself the freedom to experiment with modulation, fluctuating between louder or quieter expressions, bold or nuanced statements, and embracing both expressive and minimalist approaches.
Evolving Perspectives and the Architectural Approach to Painting
Artistic perception and relationships with one’s creations evolve over time. Marie Theres Madani’s perspective on her own works is no exception, as she experiences a certain detachment from pieces created in the past. This transformation in understanding, however, does not diminish the artist’s affinity for each work, as they were all born from honest and intimate moments. The publication of a piece signifies a sense of completion within Madani herself.
While some pieces may resonate with her more profoundly in terms of composition and complexity, the artist remains inspired by various elements within her series, fueling her desire to continue creating. Madani takes pride in her unwavering discipline to develop her craft, enhance her technical skills, and maintain a professional approach.
The absence of doubt or restraint is what Madani values most in her work. Each stroke, color, and composition emerges from a moment devoid of judgment or criticism. The artist employs an architectural approach, expanding compositions in multiple directions and layers to achieve a sense of multidimensionality. Her intention is to create a dynamic experience in which the work appears to travel through time and space.
Madani approaches each new painting as a space ripe with potential for transformation and discovery. This engagement with her work manifests as a sensory experience that reverberates throughout her being. Impulses, ideas, and impressions are felt, processed, translated, and rendered visible in her art.
By allowing herself to become intuitively involved in the creative process, Madani remains present and engaged in each moment of creation. Fragments, shapes, marks, and lines are meticulously constructed and sculpted, resulting in a captivating interplay of movement and contemplation—a moving mosaic of the moments the artist has lived and experienced.
