Maria Bodrug (Moldova, 1997) grew up in a country rich in cultural stories and traditions. From an early age, she explored a variety of art forms in order to express herself both as an artist and as a human being. Today, her artistic practice includes photography, design, video collages, painting, poetry, and performance.

Maria’s passion for photography began as a hobby but gradually evolved into a deeper artistic pursuit. In search of her own visual language and artistic voice, she moved to the Netherlands in 2021 to study at the Willem de Kooning Academy in Rotterdam, where she developed a critical and reflective approach to photography.

In recent years, Maria has applied her artistic skills to socially engaged topics such as domestic violence (the focus of her graduation project), as well as the political and physical borders and bureaucracies that shape people’s lives. Her personal experience as a non-EU citizen from Moldova, a country often perceived through the lens of its economic and geopolitical struggles, gives her work an intimate perspective on belonging, resilience, and displacement. Navigating life and study in the Netherlands has made her acutely aware of the visible and invisible barriers that separate people, inspiring her to explore these themes through a critical but empathetic lens.

Her fascination with human nature and her love for photography converge in her documentary work. Maria focuses on quiet moments, even within the chaos of crowded places. Whether working on personal projects or commissioned assignments, such as event and film set photography, she seeks to capture what is often overlooked: a fleeting glance, a brief gesture, a forgotten object, or a silent story frozen in time.