Marianna Oklejak

MARIANNA OKLEJAK (b. 1981). A graduate of the Faculty of Graphic Arts at the Academy of Fine Arts in Warsaw, where she earned her diploma in 2006 in the Book Design and Illustration Studio (under the supervision of Prof. Maciej Buszewicz and Prof. Zygmunt Januszewski). In her artistic practice, she primarily focuses on book illustration, graphic design, and drawing, often realizing comprehensive, original publishing projects.

Her works are characterized by vivid, saturated colors and flat, synthetic color patches. The main theme of her art is broadly understood folklore, traditional folk culture, and the world of children's imagination, which take on the traits of modern, dynamic visual narration on the pages of books. Marianna Oklejak's illustrations act as a kind of graphic bridge between the past and the present, in which the key issues are visual education, cultural identity, and the popularization of Polish heritage in a modern form.

The artist analyzes the richness of native folk motifs, confronting the viewer with their vitality, as well as their universal beauty. She imbues her works with an aura of joyful, vibrant energy, often intentionally broken by subtle humor and hidden details that encourage careful exploration of the image. Her art balances between immense respect for tradition and contemporary design, visually drawing from the aesthetics of Łowicz and Kurpie paper cut-outs, traditional embroidery, and glass painting.

Marianna Oklejak has received numerous awards and participated in exhibitions in Poland and abroad, including multiple distinctions and prizes in the Polish Section of IBBY (Book of the Year) competitions, and participation in the most important international illustration reviews, such as the Biennial of Illustration Bratislava (BIB) and the Bologna Children's Book Fair. Her original books, such as the highly popular and award-winning "Cuda-wianki. Polish Folklore for Younger and Older", have gained international recognition, and her original artworks are held in private collections and regularly presented at art and design festivals.