The Blue House takes centre stage with visual spectacle Showtime
The Showtime art exhibition is open to the public from March 15 until April 26 at The Blue House in Parkwood.
A mesmerising fusion of colour, form, and playfulness has taken centre stage at The Blue House in Parkwood. Showtime, the latest exhibition by celebrated artist Maja Maljvić, opened its doors on March 15, unveiling a world where abstraction meets storytelling in an explosion of creative energy.
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At the heart of the exhibition is Behind the Scenes, a new series of works on paper that transforms Maljvić’s canvas into a vibrant stage. Here, abstract characters come to life, performing within theatrical compositions framed by monotype brushstrokes and drypoint-engraved curtains. This masterful play of layers and techniques – made possible through collaborations with printmakers Kim-Lee Loggenberg-Tim and Roxy Kaczmarek – results in an enthralling visual spectacle.
Maljvić likens her artistic process to composing music or cooking a meal, intuitive, organic, and deeply influenced by daily experiences. “Every line or shape has a chance to be so many things,” she explains. “It’s related to an hour, a place, a mood… And if it happens tomorrow, it might be something different.”
Her work invites viewers to step into a world where imagination reigns supreme. Like childhood daydreams brought to life, it echoes the playful surrealism of Oskar Schlemmer’s Bauhaus Ballet, while drawing parallels to David Hockney’s stage designs. Bright colours, whimsical figures, and overlapping realities blur the line between art and theatre, reality and illusion.
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This immersive approach challenges audiences to engage in their act of creative interpretation. Are these characters actors, objects, or mere shapes? Is this a stage, a dream, or a memory? In Maljvić’s world, the answer is all of the above.
In the spirit of collaboration that fuels her work, she welcomes the audience into this dynamic exchange. “The next step is coming out to the public and wanting them to take in all of that experience,” she says. “Abstract or figurative, stage or TV, it needs to make your mind play the game, and take you to another universe.”
Showtime is a conversation between artist and viewer. A theatrical performance frozen in pigment and paper, and, like any great performance, it lingers in the mind long after the curtain falls.
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