MARTA BALLA
Visual Artist | Painter | Art Therapy Practitioner
Budapest, Hungary
ARTIST STATEMENT
My artistic practice explores the subtle connections between nature, everyday life, and inner experience. Inspired by organic forms, vivid colours, and natural elements, my work investigates the meeting point between the outer world and our inner landscapes.
Curiosity, freedom, and intuition are central to my creative process. I see art and everyday life as inseparable, with personal experiences finding expression through colour, form, and material. Working intuitively, I remain open to the natural flow of ideas and emotions, allowing each work to develop organically and reveal its own character.
My artistic journey has been shaped by my studies in Fine Arts in Valencia, Spain, and by living and working across different cultural environments, including New Zealand, the United Kingdom, Spain, and Japan. These experiences have broadened my perspective and deepened my openness to people, places, and the world around me.
Having moved to Spain to pursue a life centred on the joy of creation, I continue to explore the relationship between personal experience and artistic expression. The vibrant spectrum of colours in my work reflects my inner world and my ongoing dialogue with nature and life.
I am currently based in Budapest, Hungary, where I live and work.
EDUCATION
2016–2018
Wesley János University, Budapest, Hungary
Postgraduate Specialisation in Art Therapy
2007–2012
Universitat Politècnica de València (UPV), Valencia, Spain
Master of Fine Arts in Painting
SOLO EXHIBITIONS
2026
Attuning to Nature / Természetre hangolva, Veres Art Gallery, Váci Mihály Cultural Centre, Veresegyház, Hungary
2019
Immersed in Pattern and Space – in Japan, pop-up show, Art Studio Gallery & Café, Budapest, Hungary
2017
Colourfields, Mosaik, Budapest, Hungary
Memory Patterns, Fonó Cultural and Music Centre, Budapest, Hungary
2016
Natura(l)Collage, Kelet Galéria, Budapest, Hungary
Invisibles, Viewpoint. Migration, eReSZ Kultúr Pont, Budapest, Hungary
SELECTED GROUP EXHIBITIONS
2026
- Confluence, Maniatakeion Foundation, Koroni, Greece
- Croma Caribe, San Rafael Gallery, Quebradillas, Puerto Rico
2021
- Visions of Kindness International Art Competition, online exhibition
- Maze Affair Vol. V, pop-up show, LANNA Contemporary, Bunker Gallery, Budapest, Hungary
- The Art of Self-Regulation, online exhibition, The Holy Art Gallery, London, UK
- Every Woman Biennial – My Love Is Your Love, NFT exhibition, Superchief Gallery NFT, New York, USA
- SHRINE NYC, online group exhibition, Shrine, New York, USA — https://www.shrine.nyc/group-show-3
2020
- PINK!, The Artist Room, Budapest, Hungary
- 2 in Solitude, Kahan Art Space Gallery, Budapest, Hungary
2019
- Young Generation Art Fair, Godot Gallery, Budapest, Hungary
- Velvet Ropes, Martha’s Contemporary, Austin, Texas, USA
- Velvet Ropes, Shrine Gallery, New York, USA
- Velvet Ropes LA, 0-0 LA Gallery, Los Angeles, USA
- Empty Horses, zine artwork exhibition, FKSE Gallery, Budapest, Hungary
- BU–BE, international exhibition, Kaye College Gallery, Beer-Sheva, Israel
2018
- Young Generation Art Fair, Godot Gallery, Budapest, Hungary
- 5th Anniversary SIAC Group Show, Balassi Institute, Zagreb, Croatia
- Final Group Show, SIAC Artist Residency, Splitska, Croatia
- Words as Image, Kaye College Gallery, Beer-Sheva, Israel
2017
- Xmas Edition, Latarka Gallery, Budapest, Hungary
- Wild Art, Chez Daniel, Budapest, Hungary
- Thou Art That, performance, Puccs Gallery, Budapest, Hungary
- Where Isn’t Love Cold?, ELTE University, Budapest, Hungary
2016
- cARTc Contemporary Art Fair, Gregersen Art Point, Budapest, Hungary
- Final Group Show, SIAC Artist Residency, Splitska, Croatia
2015
- cARTc Contemporary Art Fair, Gregersen Art Point, Budapest, Hungary
- Kollázs, Four Seasons Hotel, Budapest, Hungary
- Final Group Show, SIAC Artist Residency, Splitska, Croatia
- Rites of Passage, Sporting Club Russafa, Gallery and Studios, Valencia, Spain
- Art Forward, Hotel Rum, Budapest, Hungary
2013
- Yo expongo en la Reina Sofía (I Exhibit at the Reina Sofía), exterior walls of the Reina Sofía contemporary art museum, Madrid, Spain
2012
- Ideas en proceso (Ideas in Process), Puchol Gallery, Valencia, Spain
- Proyectos expositivos 2011/2012, Museum of Arte Virreinal (Casa Humboldt), Taxco de Alarcón, Mexico
- The Sketchbook Project: Tour 2012, Brooklyn Art Library, New York, USA
- El rostro, el otro (The Face, the Other), Palau de la Música, Valencia, Spain
- Ideas en proceso (Ideas in Process), Las Atarazanas Museum, Valencia, Spain
2011
- Artist’s Books on a Metre of Colours, Cátedra Sala de Exposiciones, Metro Valencia, Valencia, Spain
- Interior Journey, Metro Valencia, Valencia, Spain
- International Design Competition, Cevisama INDI, Valencia, Spain
- 6th Competition of Painting and Photography, Students Centre, Universitat Politècnica de València, Valencia, Spain
2010
- Monotypes, Kessler-Battaglia Gallery, Valencia, Spain
ARTIST RESIDENCIES
2026 — Inner Horizon Artist Residency, Koroni, Greece
2026 — Lost Coast Art Colony Artist Residency, Quebradillas, Puerto Rico
2025 — A.R.C. – A Residence of Creation, Cappadocia, Turkey
2020 — Eva Kahan Foundation Artist Residency, San Sano, Tuscany, Italy
2018 — SIAC Artist Residency, Splitska, Croatia
2016 — SIAC Artist Residency, Splitska, Croatia
2015 — SIAC Artist Residency, Splitska, Croatia
AWARDS & GRANTS
2012 — Collaborative Scholarship with José Saborit, Painting Department, Universitat Politècnica de València, Spain
2007–2012 — Spanish Ministry of Education Scholarship, Spain
2010 — Shortlisted in the Photography Category, 6th Competition of Painting and Photography, Students Centre, Universitat Politècnica de València, Spain
ONLINE GALLERY REPRESENTATION
ARTIST REGISTRY
SELECTED PROJECTS & PUBLICATIONS
2019 — Empty Horses, film-script zine publication, Budapest, Hungary