Marija Šehanović

Marija is a Serbian artist living in Belgrade but working around the globe. Her focus is photography but she also tried her hand at direction and video art. She likes to capture the beauty in all forms – rough, imperfect, and unique. As she often escapes to the world of fantasies, Marija's art combines bizarre, sensual, and everyday situations.

Hi Marija, the art you create usually puts a woman in focus. Why is this important to you as an author?

Women have always been inspirational since the beginning of time for all art forms, and to this day she continues to inspire. I am also drawn to that beauty and I try to represent it in all of my forms, usually through a female as the central subject. Or maybe it’s just because I can relate.

When we look at your photographs, we notice the influence of Renaissance art on the way you deal with form and associate the colors with still frames of great filmmakers such as Wong Kar Wai, Almodóvar, and Lynch. How do you come up with ideas?

First of all, thank you, I take that as a big compliment. Many different artists and movements, including the ones you mentioned, have shaped me growing up, and some of them still influence my work. Through time, you can see how your style develops bit by bit, and I really enjoy that process. The beginning of every process starts with one idea that urges you to create. For me, that tends to be more of an abstract atmosphere, feeling, or style, rather than a literal subject and meaning. I try to recreate these impressions in the form of photography or video.

In addition to more standard forms, you also tried your hand at video art. How do you compare your experience with both? Which form of art gives you the most freedom?

I really enjoy both formats. But, which format is more suitable depends on the nature of the project. So I can’t decide which I prefer, but I definitely like to play around with both. When I started to dabble with video, I thought I would only be interested in the photographic aspect. But as time went by, I started to lean towards directing because it incorporates both the visual elements and the narration, which are by nature closely tied to each other. Probably because I worked so long only on photography, video seemed like the logical next step simply because of the fact that it’s more complex and challenging. In this sense, it’s a motivation for me to continue to grow, but photography will always be my first love.

You have worked with big brands such as HVN, SHISEIDO, Airbnb, Maison Michel, H&M. Where is the golden ratio between commercial demands and artistic expression?

This is a question I think many of us ask ourselves, and it’s difficult to get to that balance. I struggled a lot with that, but I always tried to keep pushing my own art forward and accept commercial jobs only when I needed to. Recently even some of my commercial collaborations have been in line with my personal vision, for which I feel lucky, but I also think it’s because I was really persistent with my own projects for so many years. The line is really thin, but I think it’s about being able to incorporate these two worlds as much as possible.

You live in Serbia, but you have spent a lot of time working around the world, especially in Japan. How do different cultures affect your work?

Traveling definitely gives you a widened perspective, and being around different cultures helps anyone grow. I love Japan because it’s a place where so many different cultures collide. It has always been a big inspiration to me in every possible way. It’s almost like another planet. I can’t wait to travel again, which is always one of the best perks of the job!