Maria Helena Brzozowska
Born 1992, Gdynia, Poland
Based in Düsseldorf, Germany
Born 1992, Gdynia, Poland
Based in Düsseldorf, Germany
"I build entire imaginary worlds on canvas, inviting viewers into liminal realms where memory, myth and reverie converge."
I build entire imaginary worlds on canvas, inviting viewers into liminal realms where memory, myth and reverie converge. My practice unfolds like a visual poem, open to interpretation and rich with metaphor. Each painting begins as an atmospheric field shaped by intuition and chance. Into that ground I weave architectural fragments, floating thresholds, secret gardens and organic forms, creating portals that merge the seen and the unseen.
In these dreamscapes familiar structures dissolve and transform. Palaces become forests, dwellings hover like islands in the air and hidden interiors reveal fragments of self. My work is an odyssey of transformation and feminine self discovery. I explore cycles of growth and decay, portals of initiation, metamorphic rites and the porous boundary between waking life and the subconscious.
Recurring visual echoes act as poetic signposts to folklore, fairy tale and natural history grounded in the fantastic. I embrace strangeness and serendipity, allowing unexpected elements to animate each composition and invite multiple readings.
I’m guided by a spirit of why not, welcoming the uncanny and whimsical. I look to Bosch’s intricate allegories, de Chirico’s architectural surrealism, Leonora Carrington’s dreamlike mythic landscapes and Remedios Varo’s alchemical precision to inform my vision. My paintings celebrate wonder and invite daydreams, offering gentle rituals of transformation and discovery.
Biography
Maria Helena Brzozowska is a Polish born English educated surrealist painter whose multicultural life spanning Poland, Turkey, the United Kingdom and Germany informs every layer of her practice. She constructs intricately layered imaginary worlds in acrylic on canvas, weaving architectural fragments, organic forms and poetic signposts into open ended visual poems exploring memory, myth and feminine transformation. She holds a BA in Visual Communication from Leeds Arts University and an MFA in Media and Design from Bilkent University and spent seven years teaching visual storytelling and design as a university instructor.
She is represented by Marquesa Gallery in Spain and has held solo exhibitions in Madrid, Leeds and Istanbul. Her recent show Magic in Bloom at Marquesa Gallery in 2025 was curated by Dr Catriona McAra and featured among the recommended events of Madrid Art Week. She will debut new work at the Estampa Art Fair in October 2025. Her work has appeared in Suboart Magazine, Art Dog Istanbul and Divide Magazine. She has been a finalist for the Arte Laguna Prize, the Festival of Illustration and the L’Associazione Tapirulan Competition and received the Applied Arts Young Blood Illustration Award. She spoke at TEDx Evolve on creative growth and her paintings are held in private collections across Europe. She lives and works in Düsseldorf, Germany.