ABOUT MARIA

B. 1972, Kozani, Greece

EDUCATION

MFA Arts & Humanities
Royal College of Art, London

BA Studio Arts
University of La Verne, California

ARTIST STATEMENT

My practice explores water as a living archive of memory, embodiment and ecological change. Working primarily through painting, sound and site-responsive processes, I approach water not simply as subject matter, but as material, witness and collaborator.

Rooted in a long-standing investigation of water, my practice has evolved from painting into material, sonic and interdisciplinary research. I am interested in what water carries, records and connects across bodies, places and generations, and in the emotional and environmental residues that remain within these relationships.

My recent research has developed through the concept of liquid memory. During my time in London, I walked regularly along the Thames near Battersea Bridge, listening, observing and collecting water. I began introducing Thames water directly into my painting process, allowing its physical qualities—its movement, weight, opacity and residue—to influence the development of the work. The river became both material and collaborator.

Blue holds a central place within this practice. Rooted in ancient Greek symbolism as well as personal associations, blue operates as both a material and symbolic language through which questions of memory, protection, transformation and ecological change emerge.

My work remains open to processes of uncertainty, accumulation and transformation. Painting becomes a site where water, pigment, gesture and material meet, while sound and site extend the investigation beyond the canvas.

BIO

Maria Bacha is a Greek contemporary artist and interdisciplinary researcher based between Greece and London. Her practice explores water, memory and ecological change through painting, sound, material and site-responsive processes.

She holds an MFA in Arts & Humanities from the Royal College of Art, London, and a BA in Studio Arts from the University of La Verne, California. She has also attended courses at RISD and MoMA and studied with the Greek painter Michalis Veloudios.

Her work has been exhibited in Greece, London and Los Angeles, including The Other Art Fair, and her work entered the collection of the Greek Ministry of Culture in 2020. She is a member of the Greek Chamber of Fine Arts.

Her interdisciplinary practice has also included art education and public engagement, including ten years as Head Art Teacher at Hadzivei Elementary School and work illustrating books for Greek public schools.