Maria Roza, born in Baku in 1998, is a painter whose work delves into the symbolic and primal relationships between human consciousness, animality, and nature. She began her formal art training at Ankara Fine Arts High School, graduating in 2016, and completed her Bachelor’s degree with high honors in Painting at Hacettepe University. Continuing her studies at the same institution, she earned a Master’s degree, focusing her thesis on hybrid creatures and their representations in contemporary art.

Roza’s first solo exhibition, Hamartia, was held in 2019 in Ankara with the support of the Rotary Club. In 2020, she was recognized by the Ministry of Culture and Tourism’s 6th Young Art Project Competition, which awarded her for her work based on the theme Geography is Destiny. In 2022, she joined the Le Maison de Barbara artist residency program and held her second solo exhibition, Parallel Animals, at Istanbul Concept Gallery. That same year, she was selected for the BASE Young Artist Platform’s annual exhibition and she participated in the exhibition held for the opening of Istanbul’s historic Feshane Building and delivered a speech as its youngest artist.

Her work has been featured in prominent galleries such as Istanbul Concept Gallery, Cermodern, and Pera Palace, as well as internationally in Beirut and Kyiv. She has participated in  art fairs including ArtAnkara, ArtContact and the Love 360 Festival.

Maria Roza’s paintings explore themes of identity, self-realization, and the primal dimensions of human-animal relationships through a surreal, symbol-rich approach. Her work often features young, introspective figures interacting with animalistic elements in liminal spaces, creating an uncanny yet harmonious atmosphere while embracing narrative elements. By contrasting the tranquility of nature with the fatigue of urban life, Maria Roza’s art invites a deep connection to the subconscious and primal aspects of the human psyche, positioning nature as a reflective space for self-discovery and a quest within the possibilities of existence.