Marta Holderna

In my artistic activity I use many media. In the studio it is mainly glass beads, plaster, clay and wood in the tattoo studio drawing and printmaking.

Millions of tiny glass beads, dozens of tubes of glue, hundreds of hours of work… that’s what makes up my works. Sometimes they are plaster or concrete sculptures, sometimes real animal skulls. Beautiful animals whose history I never know, I can only guess at, I can only ponder it. I devote many months and emotions to each work. Each time is an interesting and melancholy journey for me.

The patterns found on my beaded works are mainly mandalas, which are symmetrically repeating motifs placed on a circular plan. Mandala symbols are among the oldest religious symbols of mankind, and are also found in yogic practices, astrology, architecture, and magic. We find them in all peoples, and in all cultures. I personally love to draw, tattoo, and carve them. It is a form of meditation for me. Other patterns and colors, are an expression of my fascination with ethnic prints and colors, mainly of Africa and South America. I find inspiration for my skulls mainly in the art of the Huichol Indians.

I started by gluing skulls (Spirit Animals project), then I became interested in masks of Japanese Yokai demons (LIHO project), until 2022 when I started Emotional Portals project.

Portals are my youngest child and probably my most beloved. To create them I use casts of faces and hands of people close to me and my own. I cover them with 2mm beads to create stories of emotions.