Maria (Marika) Jankovics

Maria Jankovics was born in Budapest, Hungary in 1949. At four years old, she showed symptoms of acute Osteomye-litis and was hospitalized. The operation to remove the bone infection was done without anesthetics, which left the artist with chronic pain and trauma; a fear of its re occurrence.
Jankovics' artistic journey began at the age of 7 or 8, as she started making art during her repeated hospitalizations. She eventually escaped Budapest, Hungary with her family in the ‘Revolution of 1956’ the Student Uprising, to oust out the Communist Regime who came into Hungary in1945.
Maria Jankovics completed her BFA in 1989 at Concordia University, in Montreal.
An important part of Jankovics’ work reflects her Hungarian heritage; in which she incorporates themes of suffering. Her work shows a childlike aesthetic quality, using a playful combination of bright colors and strong text; her productions look like an illustrated storybook. The subjects imagined by the artist combine traditional themes from her Jewish and Catholic faiths (her mother was Jewish and her father was Roman Catholic), her work includes political statements, such as peace instead of wars. She strives for justice and fights for the underdog. "My paintings are about life and death and everything in between”. Humor and joy arepresent,but there is always a tinge of anguish and sometimes deep despair or the macabre.
Jankovics says she wants change for the betterment of mankind and so while her work has a childlike quality, however on closer inspection it is always a ‘ Catharsis’, coming from deep within her soul.
Jankovics has presented her paintings and prints in over 300exhibitions since 1985.She is a recognized established artist included in the (Bibliotheque nationale du Quebec(BNQ) and Archives nationale du Quebec(ANQ) the two institutions joined in 2006 so it is now called the BNaQ.