ABOUT
About Maluni
Maluni's glass art, completely unique in its kind
After many detours, Maluni finally landed in what she had wanted to dedicate her entire life to – art. Today, she is an established artist, has developed her own technique, and is represented, among other places, at the World Trade Center in Stockholm with a 27-square-meter glass artwork.
Maluni Martina Lundin – known as Maluni – was born and raised in Stockholm. Even as a child, she was a bit of a multi-artist; she danced and sang professionally, played the piano, sculpted, and painted.
“I became an introverted child during my parents’ prolonged dramatic divorce. Expressing myself through art became my salvation,” Maluni recounts. My teachers thought I should study art and philosophy already in middle school, but my parents said no – I should have a career where I could make money. I continued my studies in graphic design because we had a long line of well-known graphic artists in the family and worked evenings at the Modern Dance Theater, where I discovered a world of artistic decoration.
She was a resilient teenager who had to fend for herself. She moved out of her parents’ home at the age of 17 and, together with an older friend in the decoration world, started the decoration company Deco Design the same year.
“We were driven, creative, and had good self-confidence with my stepfather’s artist studio in the background. We got off to a flying start and worked with well-known stores and interiors that wanted to stand out.”
Intensive years
Before the age of 26, Maluni had started her own business, sold the business, studied and worked in Copenhagen, moved to LA where she attended college, worked, and lived for four years.
“These were intense years in LA,” she recalls. “I studied visual communication and art, worked on the company’s extravagant magazine, and learned art direction from the best. Building a career in Los Angeles requires using your elbows and putting yourself first. It’s all about competition. I longed to come back home.”
Back in Sweden, Maluni pointed out to the authorities at Medborgarskolan, which then owned Påhlmans Handelsinstitut, that Stockholm was completely lacking a vocational decoration and advertising program. This resulted in her being tasked with starting one. She assembled a teaching team of some of the best professionals, and the program became immensely popular. During this time, she consulted with major retail chains’ concept groups on visual communication, color theory, and lighting. In connection with this, she was recruited to be the pioneering Art Director for the exclusive magazine Connoisseur.
“During my time with Connoisseur, I became pregnant and had twins, shortly after which I became seriously ill for two years. I realized that I wouldn’t be able to work as intensely, so I embarked on my own rehabilitation journey and trained to become a health strategist, which, during my training, resulted in a now well-known public health project to prescribe physical activity.”
Developed Something New
At the end of the project period, Maluni gave birth to her third son and felt the artistic calling once again. She started a business where she freelanced for vocational colleges and was commissioned to develop glass interior designs with prints. One of the prints went awry, and Maluni had to attempt to repair it by hand, but instead, she developed something entirely new. That became the starting point for the art form she creates today.
Maluni’s glass art is unique in its kind, featuring large formats with at least five layers of mixed techniques, media, and metals on the back of the glass. She has developed her own mediums to achieve the effects she creates. The result is magical when seen in reality. Her most prominent work can be found at the World Trade Center in Stockholm, measuring 27 square meters and weighing 400 kilograms.
“My aim through my work is to make us pause and experience the organic magic we live in and often take for granted,” Maluni explains. “I study nature at a detailed level and, with my techniques, strive to capture the magical aesthetics I see and attempt to reflect. Hopefully, my works inspire us to treat our wondrous world with much greater care.”
Today, Maluni primarily works on what is closest to her heart, taking on mostly commissioned projects for public spaces and private individuals. She is now setting her sights internationally, with a new agent working internationally. I work intensively for periods, then log out and must recover. I’ve learned to tune into what I need. In connection with her art, she also organizes art courses and has a strong commitment to the arts and culture industry in Nyköping.
Translated excerpt from original article: https://www.se-hit.se/post/malunis-glaskonst-helt-unik-i-sitt-slag