About

Photo by Ido Peretz

Maya Shleifer is a multidisciplinary illustrator and designer, drawn most to visual storytelling through children’s books.

Born in the former USSR, she immigrated to Israel at the age of 16. After completing her studies at the Bezalel Academy of Arts and Design in Jerusalem, she worked as a designer and art director for various publications. She soon began showcasing her own editorial illustrations, and at about the same time, she started work on her first children’s books. Today her titles have wide recognition in Israel, and are exhibited in the country’s major museums.

Maya launched a solo interactive exhibition in 2016 called Familiar Stranger, which combined her two passions – illustration and interactive storytelling. The exhibition gained the support of the Mifal Hapais fund for Art and Culture and was held at the Mamuta Art and Media Centre in Jerusalem.

Exhibitions

Familiar Stranger, solo exhibition
Mamuta Art and Media Center, Jerusalem 2016

Dahlia Ravikovitch Poetry, group exhibition

Part of Israel Illustration Week, Tel-Aviv 2015

The Dwarf, the Giant and the Princess, group exhibition

Nahum Gutman Museum, Tel-Aviv 2014

Design Plus Ten, group exhibition showcasing the most influential Israeli young designers

Museum of Design, Holon 2011

Prizes & Honorable Mentions

Society of American Illustrators, Illustration annual, USA 2020

Ramat Gan Prize for best Picture Book of the year, Israel 2017

3*3 illustration magazine Honorable mention, USA 2016
Hapinkas illustration merit, Israel 2013