Maja Bakken (b. 1996 in Stockholm, Sweden) is a material-based artist with a background in Art Jewelry. Maja graduated from Konstfack University of Arts, Craft, and Design 2020, specializing in jewelry as part of the faculty of craft. Taking her starting point in traditional crafting techniques, she creates sculptural and architectural objects with a connection to the human body, rather than producing small-scale wearable pieces. With an interest in themes such as identity, cultural value, and personal belonging, she uses craft as a method to explore and understand her surroundings. Maja is a member of the collaborative female craft platform “Parts and Pieces” and engaged in an interdisciplinary exchange of craft perspectives. Maja has been working with several public art installations and is exhibiting her works both nationally and internationally.
For her project at Bag Factory, Johannesburg, Maja will research contemporary as well as traditional South African Beadwork. Through material-based making and analytical research, the project looks into the importance of jewelry as a means of expressing identity.
This fully funded residency program is presented in partnership with Bag Factory Artists’ Studios in Johannesburg and International Artists Studio Program (IASPIS), in Stockholm.Our organization’s visiting artists programme gives artists the opportunity to meet and connect with South African artists, promoting cultural and creative exchange and to strengthen intercontinental networks in the Visual Arts.
