Annja

Bio​graphy

Annja was born in Grenoble, France, in 1944. She commenced with a career in teaching, which she did for a decade before taking the turn into the visual arts. She studied under the acclaimed sculptor Guy Benoit at the top art school in Vence, graduating from the Ecole des Beaux Art (Nice) in 1979.
 
Annja’s first exhibition followed two years later, in 1981, where she received the Special Award of the judges of “Sauveur Chapel” (Le Canne), and has since exhibited her work countless times across the world, including Germany, England, Canada, and various states of the US. Her skills are highly valued, which has lead to her being commissioned for several pieces, including her “Continents” Monumental Sculpture for the Thunderbird International School of Management (Arizona State University), and her “Synergy” Commission for the Research Center of the Hospital Georges Pompidou (Paris).
 
Mougins, Provence (France) was the location of her first gallery, where she spent 14 years. This beautiful commune also happens to be where Picasso spent the last 12 years of his life, and is known to attract artists and celebrities.
 
Thus far, Annja has progressed through three distinct periods of artistic creativity, her latest focus being on the marriage of the arts and sciences, and a realization of spirituality and cosmic awareness – something she passionately refers to as Synergy. Annja has established a line of jewelry around this concept, though the genius of it is that all designs are also transferable into sculptures, some of which have already been realized. For instance, both her “Synergy” and “Synergy 6” have been turned into beautiful sculpture pieces, as well as jewelry items. The nucleus is always a prominent feature in all of her Synergy pieces, a constant reminder of the energy core of all living things, and humanity’s strength and unity.
In her own words, “Elements of life are evident in my work: the life cell, the foetus, the union of Yin and Yang, all common to the origin of life in their synergy, but also the Unity and the Harmony in their plurality.”
 
Annja currently spends her time between her studio in Scottsdale (AZ) and her studio in Burgundy, France. She is known for her ability to work off various environments and architecture, and constructing sculptures that harmonize with the space that they are to be displayed in. All works can be realized in different dimensions, as well as cast in metal.
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Visionary Woman

Medium : Styrofoam
Dimensions: 8' x 20" x 20"

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"Standing tall, her gaze fixated on distant horizons, this woman envisions
the future. Her perfect equilibrium combines with wisdom and infinite
 perception to serve as a beacon to those around her."

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Synergy

"Synergy is a tribute to Science.

 

I envisioned this sculpture to be:

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STRONG because science is based on concrete knowledge.

 

DYNAMIC because it is the result of teamwork and the desire for discovery.

I interpreted this dynamic via concentric lines that are organized

around the nucleus, the vital element of the cell.

 

The ENERGY produced enters into different lines of research.

The huge cantilever-style overhang with its two parallel axes demonstrates the determination of researchers who accept the idea of ​​infinity and the notion of science surpassing the concept of the self...and to go above and beyond themselves.

 

Indeed, thanks to researchers, science continues to progresses, bringing

healing where it seemed that there was no possibility of survival, providing comfort and, most of all, hope.

 

All these elements are found in the jewelry line, Synergy -- 18 original pieces, all signed and numbered, and produced from superior-level silver and 18 carat gold, stamped for authentication.

 

The patinas on the chains were created to harmonize with these jewelry sculptures."  -Annja

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2430 Vasanta Way, Los Angeles, CA 90068

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