Mariya Zeltsman

Mariya Zeltsman – Contemporary Painter Engaging Jewish Consciousness Through Form and Symbol

Born in Odesa, Ukraine, Mariya Zeltsman received classical academic training in fine arts, developing a strong foundation in form, color, and composition. Over time, her practice evolved from formal exploration toward a deeper philosophical inquiry into memory, movement, and the structure of inner life.

Her work engages Jewish consciousness not as illustration, but as lived experience. Drawing on biblical narratives, archetypal symbolism, and the spiritual dimension of exile and presence, she approaches painting as a space of attentiveness. For Zeltsman, tradition is not historical reference but an ongoing inner dialogue.

Following the outbreak of war in 2022, she relocated between the United States, Spain, and Israel. This movement deepened her reflection on displacement, continuity, and non-linear time — themes that increasingly shape her visual language.

Working primarily in oil on canvas, Zeltsman combines expressive color, symbolic structure, and compositional rhythm to create paintings that function as meditations on identity, spiritual movement, and the subtle presence within silence.

Her works are held in private collections in...

1994-2000: Odessa art school named after Kostandi
2000-2005: South Ukrainian State Pedagogical University named after K. D. Ushinsky (art and graphic department)

2002 - Exhibition of creative works of teachers and students of University them. Ushinsky
2009 - Personal exhibition in the Art-cafe "Buffet", Odessa
2011 - Personal exhibition in the gallery "Markoff", Odessa
2012 - Personal exhibition "Dinner at Masha's", Yuzhny
2013 - Exhibition at the Victory Gardens Art Gallery
2013 - Exhibition "400 years of the House of Romanov", Odessa
2019 - Joint exhibition in the Art-space "Zavod" Odessa
2024- Group exhibition in the Ben Ami gallery in Tel-Aviv
2025- Group exhibition in the Igud Amutot gallery in Petah-Tikva
2025- Group exhibition in the Manole Art Galley in AinHot