Hello there!

Welcome
I'm Maria — a self-taught artist whose work is deeply inspired by personal transformation and a fascination with the many layers of identity.

This space is both a gallery and a journey. In the Art Shop, you'll find original pieces currently available for purchase, while the Portfolio offers a look at past works that have found their homes.

I see painting as a powerful medium — one that invites reflection, sparks connection, and opens new paths of understanding between ourselves and others.

I'm always open to creative collaborations that challenge and expand my practice. Whether it's through projects in music venues, festivals, healing spaces, or therapeutic environments, I’m passionate about contributing to experiences that move people.

Thank you for visiting.

Reach out if you find my work interesting!

Best regards, MKN

Artist Statement — Maria K. Nielsen (MKN)

My work explores the inner landscapes we carry — the stories, shadows, and transformations that shape who we are. Through a fusion of street art aesthetics, abstract expression, and symbolic portraiture, I create pieces that invite viewers to pause, feel, and reconnect with themselves.

I am drawn to the moments “in between”: the silence after a truth lands, the tension before change, the fragile place where identity rearranges itself. Much of my art revolves around themes of emotional honesty, resilience, inner chaos, and personal rebirth. I often work with contrasting elements — beauty and rupture, softness and grit, clarity and distortion — to reflect the complexity of being human.

Materials like spray paint, inks, acrylics, neon pigments, and layered textures allow me to build environments that feel alive and reactive. Many of my pieces include UV-reactive elements, poetry, or small symbolic details: subtle reminders that our inner worlds are always shifting beneath the surface.

As an artist, my intention is not to tell people what to see, but to offer a space where they can recognize something of themselves. Whether it’s a portrait dissolving into abstraction or a chaotic layer revealing a quiet truth, each piece is meant as an invitation — to look inward, to feel more openly, and to rediscover the parts of ourselves we often silence.

Ultimately, my work is a conversation about identity and emotional presence. It is a journey through the shadows we inherit, the stories we reshape, and the light we reclaim.

Gallery MKN (2021–2024)

For three unforgettable years, Gallery MKN was my creative hub — a place where art and community met on equal ground. Right in the heart of Amager, in the neighborhood where I grew up, I transformed an old vegetable shop into a space filled with color, curiosity, and connection.

The idea was simple: bring art closer to people who might not usually step into a formal gallery. I wanted those walking by to catch a glimpse of something that pulled them in — a bright color, a bold portrait, a story they didn’t expect to find. No pressure. No pretense. Just a space that felt open, welcoming, and alive.

It was also my studio, which made the space personal and ever-changing — a place where people could see how art is made, in real time. Visitors became part of the process, and conversations sparked naturally.

But just as importantly, Gallery MKN became a platform for other artists. One of my goals was to offer a more affordable and flexible exhibition space — something I found was missing in the art world. Many emerging artists struggle to find places to show their work without huge costs or rigid expectations. This was a chance to do it differently — to share the space, make room, and support each other in the creative process.

Though Gallery MKN has now closed its doors, its energy and intention live on — in the artworks that found new homes, in the people it brought together, and in the idea that art belongs where people are.

Thank you to everyone who added or was a part of the creative hub.

Warmest regards,
Maria K. Nielsen aka. MKN
Owner/Curator, Gallery MKN