BIOGRAPHY
Last updated on 17.03.2023
AS SEEN IN
I find inspiration in the beauty that can be found in the mundane moments of life, whether they are good or bad. This is reflected in my figurative subjects. Through my paintings of people and animals, I strive to capture the essence of life and all its moments, be it joy, leisure, or the simple beauty of being.
My portraits of women, influenced by poetry, fashion, and beauty, are not necessarily realistic but instead a representation of what could be. I showcase how even the most ordinary moments can be transformed into something beautiful and meaningful through careful attention to detail and a focus on aesthetics.
In the process of finding the shapes, colors, and compositions I tell a story, whether it’s through digital art, painting on canvas, or sketches. My ultimate goal is to create art that transports the viewer to the imaginative world I occupy, inviting them to look beyond the surface level and consider the deeper meanings and symbolism behind the seemingly ordinary subject matter.
All the portrait photographs have been captured by the talented Petar Nedyalkov.
01
SUMMARY BIO
Mayya Georgieva, artist name: Mayya Geo (Bulgarian: Майя Георгиева; 06 December 1992; Sofia) is a Bulgarian designer and artist. She is the co-founder of GEOBO brand design studio for fashion tech companies and creative industries. With over a decade of professional experience, Mayya’s skills span across graphic design, painting, and user interface design. Mayya has won awards and exhibited internationally at major competitions and media, including the Red Dot Award, International Visual Identity Award, Forward Festival, Design Made in Germany, Medium and Muzli. Mayya collaborated with brands from Topshop to Smirnoff, and exhibited in Austria, Bulgaria and Germany. She mentors many designers and entrepreneurs around the world.
Mayya grew up in Sofia, Bulgaria, lived in Berlin, Germany for almost ten years and currently lives in Salzburg, Austria. She is the proud product of numerous cultural influences, including parents of Bulgarian and Armenian heritage. This experience in different parts of Europe has influenced her colourful figurative art in which she combines human and animal bodies, geometry and fashion.
02
EDUCATION AND WORK
Mayya’s passion for graphic software and paint was sparked at just nine years old. Inspired by the Plakatstil, Bauhaus, and Pop art movements, she was drawn to the world of contemporary art and design, particularly digital products and gadgets.
Her first recognition as a professional artist was in 2006, when Mayya was part of a group exhibition at the Ministry of Culture of the Republic of Bulgaria in Sofia after winning a drawing competition organized by the Bulgarian Red Cross. In 2011 she received a professional high school qualification in graphic design from the National School of Applied Arts in Sofia. In 2012 Mayya was part of a group exhibition at the Open Mind Art Festival organized by her fellow students and herself. In 2015 she completed a BFA in painting at the National Academy of Art in Sofia. In the same year, she presented her artwork as part of a group exhibition at the Union of Bulgarian Artists.
Mayya gained valuable experience through her work at design agencies. In the summer of 2008 when Mayya was fifteen years old she did her first internship and for a couple of months, she helped with the design of Topshop magazine in Sofia. During her studies in 2011, she interned as a graphic designer at the prestigious Havas agency. There she has worked for clients like Beaujolais Nouveau, Carrefour, and Société Générale. In 2013 Mayya began as a graphic designer at the independent agency The Smarts in Sofia and later she was promoted into the position of art director and led projects for clients like Smirnoff, Unicredit, and GlaxoSmithKline. In 2016, a year after earning her bachelor of fine arts, Mayya relocated to Berlin. She then honed her skills in UX and UI design and began working as a full-time freelance designer and artist partnering with teams of professionals to help establish or scale user-centered digital products and brands.
In 2021, Mayya’s dream of opening her own design studio became a reality with the founding of GEOBO. Today, she and her team work tirelessly to help their clients establish and grow their brands through thoughtful, creative design.
03
ART AND DESIGN
Mayya’s design and artistic repertoire includes digital and print designing, painting, creating graphic art, and collaborating with other designers and artists.
The brand and digital design works built by Mayya are known for their user-centered designs, vibrant colors, geometric forms, and well-thought-out art direction.
For her contemporary figurative artworks, Mayya uses traditional, digital, and graphic media. She tells compelling stories through visual art, combining elements of the human and animal body, geometry, architecture, nature, and fashion, turning them into visual poetry.
Through form and rich details, Mayya likes to work with the subjects of beauty, storytelling, imagination, and reality. She depicts those in the form of imaginary, colorful portraits, where people and animals are drawn not as they are but as they could be.
Different to her design work, in her paintings Mayya has the freedom to obey only the rules of her own vision and let her thoughts and ideas go wild. Keep an eye out for upcoming exhibitions, and look at the GEO atelier for selected goods for sale. The shop will open online in 2023.
04
EXHIBITIONS AND AWARDS
05
MATERIALS AND CONTACT
MEDIA KIT
CONTACT
06
MENTORING AND RESOURCES