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Centre for Illustration
Exhibitions

Maja P. Kastelic Magical Reality

  • 29. 1. – 30. 3. 2025
  • Centre for Illustration, Vodnik Homestead Gallery, Ljubljana

Maja P. Kastelic creates touching and magical worlds full of imagination, warmth, and subtle narrative details. Her illustrations stand out for their lyrical quality, rich visual storytelling, and masterfully drawn characters that carry a sense of dreaminess and nostalgia.

The author combines her love for stories and images through an exploration of the depth of visual language. Her first original wordless picture book The Boy and the House (Mladinska knjiga, 2015) achieved remarkable international success and received numerous awards, including the Hinko Smrekar Award, the Levstik Award, and the Kristina Brenk Award for the best original Slovenian picture book.

Kastelic’s works are distinguished by a thoughtful rhythm in which the scenes follow the text while simultaneously expanding upon it. Her picture books reflect careful dramaturgical and narrative consideration, intertwining different layers of stories and establishing an exceptional dialogue between word and image. References to everyday life or even to other literary works often find their way into her scenes, subtly communicating with the reader.

Maja P. Kastelic’s creativity extends beyond books – she also collaborates on many other artistic projects. Her illustrations never fail to captivate both children and adults, as her unique vision and attention to detail create worlds that invite viewers to immerse themselves in the story and uncover its many layers. The illustrator demonstrates that illustrations are not merely companions to text but rather windows into imaginative worlds where emotions and stories know no boundaries.

The exhibition presents the original artworks from three picture books: her latest authorial picture book The Invitation (Mladinska knjiga, 2025) and two picture books published abroad – Koozi (Anastasia Qarawani, Al Salwa, 2018) and Anthony and the Gargoyle (Jo Ellen Bogart, Groundwood Books, 2021) – which are not well known to the Slovenian public. Both books have gained international acclaim; Koozi, among other recognitions, received a Plaque at the Biennial of Illustration Bratislava (BIB) 2019.

Maja P. Kastelic (1981) is a fine artist, illustrator, and author of children’s picture books. In addition to art, she studied philosophy and visual culture theory. For many years, she worked in the field of mural restoration, and since 2015 she has devoted herself exclusively to illustration.

Her work has earned numerous recognitions and awards, including a Plaque at the Biennial of Illustration Bratislava, the Etisalat Children’s Literature Award, and a place on the IBBY Honour List. Her illustrations have been selected for the prestigious Illustrators’ Exhibition at the Bologna Children’s Book Fair, while her books The Boy and the House and First Love were included in the White Ravens collection.

She has exhibited in many curated selections, including the Biennial of Illustration Bratislava, Le Immagini della Fantasia in Treviso, the Troisdorf Bilderbuchpreis, dPICTUS in Frankfurt, and the Nami Concours in South Korea. Her debut picture book The Boy and the House also inspired a puppet theatre adaptation.

Maja collaborates with some of the most renowned Slovenian and international publishers, and her picture books have been published in more than twenty languages worldwide.

Colophon

  • Curator and author of texts: Maša P. Žmitek
  • Producer: Gaja Naja Rojec
  • Graphic design: Ajda Fortuna in Teja Jalovec
  • Proofreading: Žiga Kosec in Anže Toni
  • Exhibition design: Sara Škarica in Sara Badovinac (Sara&Sara)
  • Production: Centre for Illustration (Divja misel)