EP 03
ma·ta /ˈmɑːtɑː/ — noun. “eye” in Malay
Studio MATA
Poetry, printmaking & film by Zana Azra —
love letters from Kuala Lumpur to London.
MATA.ART
Category is…
Series · 2025
Sun Cycle
Sun Cycle No #1 : Sun Down
A deep exhale — a collapse into darkness where everything folds inward. It is the moment after holding on too long, the hour of helplessness and deafening isolation, where light recedes, and with it, the need to perform. A complete surrender.
Artist statement
Between joy and sorrow, stillness and motion, clarity and overwhelm, this series emerged from quietly observing the sky over several days — early sunrises, slow sunsets — and gently personifying those transitions. I tied them to my own emotional states, finding resonance in the daily, natural magic of the sun’s rhythm.
These feelings — the quiet ache before release, the heaviness of fading, the sting of clarity, the tentative return, the leap into light — don’t fit into neat binaries. They aren’t purely happy or sad, but live in-between, in flux. I want to give them form, to bring visibility to these often-unspoken states so they feel less isolating — more shared, more human.
The sun becomes a mirror: how we dim and blaze, fall and begin again. In noticing its cycle, we begin to notice our own — and in doing so, find language for self-soothing, connection, and change.
Series · 2025
Dear Cycle,
For most of my life, I treated my menstrual cycle like something to overcome. Something to suppress, push through, or pretend away. In 2021 I started paying attention. Listening to this quiet internal conversation. These drawings are a record of that shift. A small archive of emotional weather.
This cycle I gave each emotion space to move. And in that softness, I noticed something: my cycle moves like nature does. Like the moon pulling tides. Like the leaves turning colour when seasons change. All going with the flow of the universe.
Through this kinder lens, I now see menstruation not as a burden, but as a rhythm. I love rhythm and in turn Dear Cycle… I love you too, and all your shades. ❤
Six days. Six flow states:
- Day 1Sadness
- Day 2Resistance
- Day 3Pain
- Day 4Pleasure
- Day 5Surrender
- Day 6Joy
Series · 2023
Fruity Fems
Artist statement
Fruity Fems is a series that came to fruition in London after attending a drawing workshop at Eye to Pencil Drawing Studio, where we were given Renaissance paintings as reference to interpret from our own point of view.
Drawn to the beauty and intimacy of subtle Sapphic moments within these paintings — albeit some bizarre positions and situations — and continued in Malaysia, this series is an amalgamation of the inspirations that envelop me today: nature, Renaissance paintings and historical art, an infatuation with colour, and my admiration for the women who fearlessly love other women.
Each piece represents the etymology of the colours in the Pride flag, the scenes highlighting the quiet moments within these verbose paintings where women share intimate moments that are a little bit fruity…
Pop My Cherry · 2023
Watercolour and ink on paper · 34 cm × 44 cm
Sex was always used as a weapon to shame and control while growing up. In its orientation, expression or desire, sex was shunned yet expected as a woman. The question would always linger — why would the universe create sex as a natural part of life, only to be demonised? Queer love has shown me it’s possible to embrace both, that the two are inseparable.
Both are to be celebrated.
Portfolio
Selected Works
A curated portfolio of Zana’s selected works — printmaking, illustration and more — gathered in one document.
Download PDF ↓Podcast
MATA.FM
ABYZ.FM — to the point of no return. Conversations on staying present, habits and course-keeping.
MATA.SHOP
Take a piece home
Prints and originals are available in the Studio MATA shop on Etsy.
Visit the Etsy shop ↗
About
Studio MATA by Zana Azra
Zana Azra is a multi-disciplinary artist from Kuala Lumpur whose practice weaves together poetry, printmaking and film to navigate the world both within and around her. Through a deeply personal lens, she explores themes of identity, memory, and connection, using art as a love letter to those who shape her journey.
Currently based in London, she romantically documents life’s fleeting moments, her works expressing gratitude for existing bonds while inviting new encounters. She also employs humour as a device to challenge perceptions, soften difficult narratives, and create a sense of relatability in her storytelling.
Deeply inspired by nature, Zana integrates organic forms, textures, and colours into her work, using them as metaphors for personal growth, impermanence, and resilience. Her appreciation for the natural world serves as both a visual and thematic foundation, enriching her artistic narrative.
Founding her art practice Studio MATA, Zana continues to experiment with mediums and narratives, fostering dialogue between self-reflection and collective experience.
Say hello
For commissions, collaborations or just to drop a kind word —