About Max Dana

Max Dana has always been fascinated by the black color and when she first saw Pierre Soulages 'Outrenoir' paintings, it was a revelation to her. From her love for the black color, she created a singular art style addressing both light and serious subject matter, the duality of beauty and cynism of our world through painting and drawing but also design, photography and writing. The World of Sama is an allegory of our world and is filled up with mysteries; The Sama are peaceful but yet strange creatures coming from another dimension (one of the numerous hidden dimensions of the M-theory), protecting human beings known as the Chibi, with their good vibes...

An aspiring journalist, Max Dana created a student newspaper focused on serious topics such as geopolitics and science, in which she also expressed her interest in videogames and sports. At 17 she wrote a play for theatre inspired by Jean-Paul Sartre play's 'Huis Clos' (No Exit) taking place during the Golden Age of Hollywood, her favorite period in film history. A year later, inspired by Hip Hop culture and social justice, Max directed her first short-movie on freedom of expression and the uncertainty of life based on microprobability. Because of her keen interest in journalism and photography, Max first considered to work as a war photojournalist.

Inspired by her grandmother who was a seamstress, Max Dana merged her love for vintage clothing with her interest in sustainability and created her first collection in the early 1990s by recycling old clothes. Max later discovered an other side of fashion with Haute Couture when she interned at the great fashion house Christian Dior. Enriched by these experiences, Max always seeks excellency using artisanal materials and the finest fabrics, putting craftsmanship and Metiers d'Art at the center of her creations, based on environmentally friendly production techniques and local manufacturing. Most of her clothing, handbags, accessories and furnitures pieces are produced in limited edition and many are labeled 'Made in France' to support French savoir-faire.

The mid-80s was a turning point in Max's life. She discovered hip-hop and the graffiti movement, started wall-painting at Paris/La Défense (France); da-eYe, the one-eye only, witty and facetious character was born. While he has had a life of his own in multiple media and platforms (wall decals and stickers, prints, clothing and even a 3D edition), a decade later the multidimensional World of Sama and its benevolent creatures from another dimension emerged. Max's interest in astrophysics and Quantum cosmology, as well as her enthusiasm for Steampunk later lead her to create a new character based on her own geeky and adventurous personality: Max Von Sama The Explorer and the Sama Airship.

Even though Max Dana had been involved in civil society activism and was artistically active, after a decade of a successful career in Management and Consulting, she made a career change and decided to dedicate more time to her creative projects and philanthropic commitments. From the coverage of the Tiananmen Square protests and the Sudanese coup d'état in her student newspaper to the genocide in Rwanda, Max has always been a concerned citizen of the world, promoting global citizenry. In the early 2000s, she took an active part in raising awareness about the genocide in Darfur, and following this successful campaign, Max decided to found The MagkaSama Project to help people join forces and take action on topics such as Human Rights, freedom of speech and environment.

Max Dana is a very discreet and private artist, she is focused on her work and commitments and avoids public appearances as much as possible. She prefers to stay out of the spotlight, letting her art and actions speak for themselves. Since the mid-90s, Max is supported by a loyal community of fans and has built a strong connection with them over the years. You can connect with Max on Twitter @MaxDana, subscribe to the Mailing list, visit her blog ('How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love The Inconsistency of Our World. Yet I Can't Reconcile Myself To It. But I'm Working On It') and read the FAQ below for more info. Max also occasionally does live chat sessions.