Maja Długołęcka is a Polish-American painter, art consultant, and the creative force behind Lobster Club, a gallery and residency program dedicated to supporting emerging artists.
With a background in visual design and music, her practice is rooted in translating her lived experience into abstract form. Her paintings, often composed of layered washes and tactile textures, evoke emotion and movement through bold, intuitive pigments.
AG partnered with Maja as the featured artist in our “From Canvas to Cloth” collection that celebrates an artist’s creative studio as both a space of inspiration and a harmonious vessel. Her work, and the world she builds around it, reflect the deep connection between art and the environment in which it’s made.
AG: What first drew you to painting, and when did you realize this would become your path?
Maja Długołęcka: My first experiments with paint began in the summer of 2015, following a breakup, as a much-needed cathartic release. The early days of painting were very much for myself, having no expectations but discovery and play. In doing so, I found a new medium to transcribe my feelings in a way that was often difficult to describe with words alone. My practice has always been a vessel for me to better understand myself and translate diary entries into movement and color.
AG: How did Lobster Club come to be?
Maja Długołęcka: I moved from Portland to Los Angeles in March 2020. The idea for Lobster Club began as a one-night-only show with 30 artists. Coming off 2 years of lockdown and hoping to build community, the roster for our first show in November 2022 was a mix of local and international artists, each who joined us for the opening at a historic art deco theatre turned gallery space in Koreatown. Alongside the 30 large-scale paintings, we incorporated an immersive food installation by Allison Jacks of Salud Salud, featuring 300 loaves of bread among an 11 ft long butter sculpture.
AG: With Lobster Club, you’re curating other artists’ work. How does that experience feed back into your own painting practice?
Maja Długołęcka: I’m a relationship-driven person, and that extends to working with the 70+ artists on our roster. Most of the original artists from the first show were friends and acquaintances, who have gone on to become good friends with the team as well as other artists in the Lobster Club network. As a team of artists working alongside artists, we bring a unique perspective to producing shows and working with clients. Our approach is informed by the artist perspective first, gallery model second.
“I’ve always appreciated that art,
and specifically abstract art,
can be a portal into your own inner world.
I keep my titles intentionally vague to serve as a
subliminal invitation to reflect on the viewer’s life.”
AG: How do you see the roles of music and food expanding or shifting the way people connect with visual art at Lobster Club?
Maja Długołęcka: The traditional art world has a bit of a reputation for being insular and unwelcoming to outsiders, even to those in adjacent industries (fashion, music, design, etc.). We’ve taken a more open approach—welcoming each visitor in the same way you might a house guest—offering them a drink, a bite to eat, and an invitation to stay awhile. Lobster Club began as a family business (co-founded with my brother, Tadzio), and our team shares a familial-like bond. That warmth we’ve fostered within our team extends to each of our guests. On the food front, it has played a fundamental role in each of our shows from the start. Allison of Salud Salud works closely with the artist(s) to dream up a site-specific food installation for each of our shows. By adding an element so universal as food, we create an environment that everyone can participate in and feel a part of. In a way, each food installation is a performance piece of its own in which every guest is invited to co-author and make their own.
AG: How do you balance art and commerce?
Maja Długołęcka: The intersection of the two has always felt like a natural pairing in my practice and with Lobster Club. Tadzio and I grew up in close proximity to the family business (Artisan Music Strings, with the workshop taking up the first floor of our childhood home)—this gave us the impression that it is entirely possible, normal even, to make a living as an artist and gave us the confidence to pursue a project that others might consider unrealistic. I’ve always felt that with enough perseverance, anything is possible.
AG: In what ways do you hope your work creates a connection?
Maja Długołęcka: I’ve always appreciated that art, and specifically abstract art, can be a portal into your own inner world. I keep my titles intentionally vague to serve as a subliminal invitation to reflect on the viewer’s life. The titles are often pulled from a love letter or words overheard in passing. I take note of them at random, and when I return to a finished painting, I revisit my notes from that period in time, plucking little bits and marrying them to a piece. In that way, it feels like I’m creating a through line that connects my internal to the external.
EXPLORE THE FROM CANVAS TO CLOTH COLLECTION
