Me, the Artist
I’m Mary Pavlova, a conceptual text-based artist creating visual puzzles that explore language, perception, meaning, and ambiguity. I create abstract calligraphy and text-based artwork for workspaces and for people who value curiosity, thoughtful environments, and new perspectives.
And if you Google my name, don’t be surprised if a delicious dessert shows up before the artist. Yes, Pavlova is also a dessert.
I'm Mary Pavlova
a conceptual artist who loves exploring language and form.
For a while, I believed my artistic drive was just a love for letters, lines, and calligraphy. But my true fascination began during an interactive design course at the British Higher School of Art and Design. There, a lettering project pushed us to move people emotionally using only the way words were drawn.
That project showed me that letters can do much more than just communicate. They can create movement, emotion, rhythm, tension, and meaning before anyone even reads the words.
From UX Design to Art
My path wasn't direct. I set that passion aside for nearly a decade.
Ten years ago, if you had asked me what I do, I would have said I’m a UX designer. I put my energy into digital experiences, mapping user flows, researching how people interact with technology, and working on R&D projects with new technologies. What I loved most were the projects without clear answers, the ones where we could honestly say,
I don't know. Let's figure it out.
Working with voice assistants made me even more fascinated by language. Without visuals to help, every word, pause, tone, and interpretation became important. Language was no longer just a tool for communication. It became a structure for interaction.
Looking back, I see that I never really left art behind. I was just exploring communication in a different way.
This made me question:
These questions became the foundation of my creative process. That space between seeing and understanding is where my work truly begins.
Ways of Seeing
This curiosity about perception led me to explore meaning in context more deeply.
Eventually, life brought me full circle.
Through Yana's Mef course, I rediscovered my excitement for language. This time, I realized something deeper: my work isn’t actually about the letters themselves.
Letters are my medium.
Meaning, perception, and ambiguity are my territory.
That’s why I often work with abstract or fragmented text, instead of immediately readable words.
When we see a familiar word, our brains are quick to recognize and move on. Reading can close the question before we’ve truly had a chance to really look.
I am interested in what happens when that certainty is interrupted.
My work uses elements of writing, but it does not always offer something straightforward to read. Letters turn into shapes, structures, rhythms, traces, and clues. They invite the brain to search for meaning without giving a single, clear answer.
I don’t want to remove language from my work.
I want to make you aware of it.
These ideas first appeared in my early artworks and continue to evolve through my signature artworks.
What fascinates me is how context shapes what we see, understand, and believe. The same word, art can carry vastly different meanings depending on who says and sees it, where it appears, what surrounds it, and what we bring to it ourselves.
Moving to the US made this realization even stronger. I experienced firsthand how the same words, gestures, expressions, or even silences can be understood in completely different ways depending on the cultural context.
That experience made me ever more interested in the gap between what something is and what we think it means.
Curiosity Over Certainty
This mindset also shapes how I approach creativity.
Where some see a blank sheet of paper or an empty wall, I see something unfinished. For me, it is a space where anything can happen.
I have never understood stopping just because inspiration does not come. If the first idea does not work, I try another. If that fails, I change the question. Real exploration starts when we move past the obvious answers and keep searching.
I don't want people to look at my art and simply think, "Got it."
I want them to leave wondering, "What if there’s another way to see this?"
For me, curiosity is always more important than certainty.
My mission is to create visual languages for people who want to explore the unknown and look for new dimensions in the world around them.
Let’s Stay in Touch
I like sending updates about what I’m making, stories from the studio, odd ideas, and whatever creative rabbit hole I’ve found myself in. If you’re into art, visual language, or simply like seeing the world from a new angle, you’ll probably enjoy it.
Curious what I’m up to next? I’d be happy to have you along.
