Young Canadian artist, Maral Matig has received a lot of instagram attention through her stunning realist  paintings and drawings. Her work details back to her Armenian ancestry, as well as the beauty and diversity of her culture.  I talk to her as she discusses her work in more detail, with emotional and dreamy works, we step into her personal perspective towards art and identity. 

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Hi Maral, so tell me a little bit about yourself…

Hi, my name is Maral Matig! I am an 18 year old Armenian who is in love with culture, languages and art. I am currently in college studying Arts, Literature and Communication and I hope to do some volunteer work in Armenia in the future. As many Armenians, my last name name does not end in “ian” or “yan”, and that is because my dad is Armenian from Istanbul, Turkey, while my mom is from Cairo, Egypt. I feel very connected to my culture and I love learning about new languages, it’s one of the things that truly brings me joy.

When did you start to draw and paint ? Why did you start to draw/paint? What is important to you in the process of creating ?

I have always enjoyed doodling and drawing from life ever since I was about 5 years old. But it’s only in the past few years that I have come to an understanding of how cathartic art and drawing can be. I think it has provided me with some answers to philosophical questions. It this instance I have always had about what it means to be alive, and painting, as it is for many others, is a way for me to release pent up emotions. That is to say, I’ve struggled with my own mental health growing up, and so creating and painting has really allowed me to enter a new head space. Being confined in real life can feel fake, so exploring what I feel through art helps to keep me grounded.

In terms of your work then, the characters are so dewy and also very natural, they also seem to have a sort of neutral expression, why is that?

I don’t think I have a solid answer to why the characters I paint look somewhat sad, but the neutral expression seems to be my natural state of seeing things. When I look someone in the eyes I think there’s something beautiful about their raw state of being, without trying to ‘be’ something or someone else in that moment. So when I’m painting, I think I’m painting the way that someone’s truth makes me feel. The way I see them moving through this world enlightens and energizes me.

Wow, that’s such a beautiful interpretation of how to see the world ! I see you bring a lot of traditional Armenian objects and ideas to your work, alongside the modern and contemporary Armenia that is today. How important is Armenian heritage to you? How do you reflect it in your work?

I used to feel very distant and cold towards my Armenian-ness growing up because I disliked the idea of being an ‘other’; that seemed inferior to me. A way for me to work around this was to force myself to look at what brought me to where I am. I realized how important it is to recognize the struggles my family endured just so that I could be here living this life, and now I can’t seem to go a day without somehow incorporating Armenian language and culture into conversations. Even though I don’t particularly believe in being confined to your own ethnic identity, because I think we are all connected in the end, I do like the idea of belonging to something larger than myself. That seems to bring me comfort.

“I think there’s something beautiful about people’s raw state of being, without trying to ‘be’ something or someone else in that moment.”

Who is your inspiration? Who inspires you to create the work that you do?

There are so many things that inspire me to make art, but I have to thank Twenty One Pilots for truly making me understand the importance of creating, and how it can heal. Things change and so do interests with time, but I try not to look at it as necessarily fixed. Right now at least, I believe music and poetry have been a big part of my growth, with artists like Bei Ru, Navid Zardi, Mashrou Leila, Raveena Aurora, Mehdi Bahmad, Gökhan Türkmen and soooo many others! Above all I think what inspires me the most is the magic of connection, whether that be through music, art, or just talking to people.

What has been the biggest struggle as an artist? What would you tell your younger self?

Something I have been struggling with a lot lately is drawing the line between self-expression and sulking. While painting provides me with comfort and relief, at some points it can feel overwhelming and almost like I’m ‘in too deep’ to the point where it affects my well-being. A challenge I’d like to overcome is learning how to balance spending time alone as an ‘artist’ and deciding to spend time with others. I think I would tell my younger self (of 2 years ago haha) that being ‘Armenian’ has nothing to do with how dark/light your skin is or how you are perceived by others as an Armenian, but rather the connection you feel when taking part in the community.

Thank you so much for having a chat with me today, and to all the readers , please check out Maral’s amazing work and her Etsy where you can buy her prints. She also updates her instagram with new work and inspiration.

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