Bio
Maria Mavropoulou (b. 1989) is a visual artist living and working in Athens, Greece. She holds a BA and an MFA from the Athens School of Fine Arts. Her practice looks at the new realities produced by technological systems and at how digital technologies reshape identity, perception and representation. Some of her projects connect artificial intelligence with the mystical and the divine. She also considers what photography becomes when the camera, screen, archive and means of distribution occupy the same device, and machines act as creators, distributors and evaluators of images.
Currently, her research centers on how systems of image-making shape memory and cultural production. Working across photography, archives, AI-generated imagery, and installation, she examines moments when technologies designed to preserve reality begin instead to obscure it. She is especially concerned with artificial intelligence as a dominant mechanism of accumulation and redistribution of cultural data, and with phenomena such as model collapse, where the performance of systems trained on their own outputs gradually degrades. Through this lens, she investigates how growing dependence on algorithmic systems affects the ways knowledge is preserved and accessed, and how AI mediation may contribute to a cultural “monoculture”.
For editorial assignments and image licensing, visit Editorial & Licensing
Grants & Awards
2023
OpenAI Artist Spotlight
2022
MAST Foundation Photography Grant on Industry and Work, finalist
2021
Vonovia Award for Photography 2021, finalist
2020
International Photography Grant, talent of the year 2020
2019
Special Mention award for the VR “Family Portraits” at the 60th Thessaloniki International Film Festival
2018
30 Under 30 Women Photographers 2018
2016
Young Greek Photographer, Athens Photo Festival 2016
Workshops, Lectures and Talks
2026
Onassis Foundation, lecture on the topic of AI and education
Lecture at the University of Patras, Department of Architecture
Athens Photo Research Center, 3-day workshop on AI & Photography
2025
Workshop on AI & Photography at Athens School of Fine Arts, Greece
Lecture at ASFA Athens School of Fine Arts, Greece
2024
Roundtable discussion at Onassis Foundation
Lecture at Bauhaus-Universität Weimar
Workshop on AI & Photography at Bielefeld University of Applied Sciences, Germany
Lecture at ASFA Athens School of Fine Arts, Greece
Slams by SNFCC Youth Council: Artificial Intelligence — artist talk and panel discussion, Stavros Niarchos Foundation Cultural Center, Athens · ▶ VIDEO
2023
Week-long workshop AI & Photography at EKA Estonian Academy of Arts
Lecture to Princeton class, Athens, Greece
Presentation at EMST National Museum of Contemporary Art, Athens, Greece
Workshop at EMST National Museum of Contemporary Art, Athens, Greece
2022
Lecture at ASFA Athens School of Fine Arts, Greece
Selected group shows
Upcoming
26/03/2027–12/05/2027 A Hollow Garden at Afterimage: Photography in the Digital World, West Cork Art Centre, Ireland
12/11/2026–15/11/2026 Family Portraits Open M Art Fair 2026, Shanghai, China
01/10/2026–30/05/2027 Family Portraits at Wuhan Biennale, Wuhan Art Museum Qintai venue, China
Current
31/08/2026–18/12/2026 Family Portraits, BE.LIKE.ME group exhibition, Stralsund, Germany
24/06/2026–27/09/2026 Imagined Images at Simulacres, Magasins Généraux, Paris, France
2026
A Hollow Garden at Afterimage: Photography in the Digital World, Photo Museum Ireland
Family Portraits at OōEli, Hangzhou, China
Ecologies of Noise at Collapse: data.models.worlds, Saigon.Athens, Greece
2025
Family portraits at Nordwestdeutsche Museum für IndustrieKultur in Delmenhorst, Germany
Imagined Images at European Photography Month in Tokyo, Japan
8,5 Faces at Absolute Approximation exhibition, Berlin, Germany
The Sleight of the Machine at Plasmata 3, by Onassis Stegi, Pedion tou Areos Park, Athens, Greece
Imagined Images at Gjon Mili biennale, She who starts the song, National Gallery of Kosovo
2024
In their own Image at Reimagine Tomorrow, AI Biennale, Essen, Germany
Family Portraits at Acces)s( festival, Le Bel Ordinaire, Billere, France
Family Portraits at BE.LIKE.ME, Ausstellung, Erfurt, Germany
Image Eaters at La Nuu festival, Rubi, Spain
Imagined Images at Images Vevey festival, Vevey, Switzerland
Imagined Images at the Citizen Office of Synthetic Memories, Design Museum of Barcelona, Spain
Imagined Images at “Her Stories” MOMUS Thessaloniki, Greece
Imagined Images at Athens Photo Festival, Benaki Museum, Athens, Greece
In their own image and A self-portrait of an Algorithm at “Missing Mirror” FOAM Amsterdam, NL
Imagined Images “Photography never lies” BACC Bangkok, Thailand
Family portraits at “Home sweet home” Frankfurt, Germany
Imagined Images at “And all our world is dew” DEERE The American College of Greece, Athens
Imagined Images at Familiar Frontiers, SVA, New York, USA
2023
SINDBAD: I Can See Land, Sharbatly, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia
A self-portrait of an Algorithm Frequency Festival, Lincoln, UK
A hollow Garden Visage(s) d’Europe, Fête de l'Europe, Paris, France
2022
ART-WORKS @ Delta Stavros Niarchos Foundation (SNF), Athens, Greece
A hollow Garden Ground Control, curated by Laura Tota, Cavallerizza Reale, Turin, Italy
Family Portraits Vantage Point Sharjah (VPS), Sharjah Foundation, Al Hamriyah Studios, United Arab Emirates
Family Portraits Vonovia Award for Photography exhibition, Sprengel Museum in Hanover, Germany
A hollow GardenGround Control exhibition, curated by Laura Tota, Locorotondo, Puglia, Italy
Family Portraits Athens Photo Festival, Benaki museum, Athens, Greece
A hollow Garden Visage(s) d’Europe, Fête de l'Europe, Paris, France
A hollow Garden Presence, PhMuseum Lab, Bologna, Italy
New Talents 2021, curated by PEP, Kommunale Galerie, Berlin
Face Control, curated by Urs Stahel, Foto Colectania, Barcelona, Spain
Family Portraits Modern Love, curated by Katerina Gregos, IMPAKT Utrecht, The Netherlands
2021
Image Eaters Her Data, curated by Foteini Vergidou & Katerina Gkoutziouli, Romantso, Athens, Greece
Periplus, Schloss Wolkersdorf, Vienna, Austria
Connections, Klan Galerie, Berlin, Germany
2020–2021
Family Portraits Modern Love curated by Katerina Gregos, Museum für Neue Kunst, Freiburg, Germany.
2020
Family Portraits Loading Festival at Miami Art week curated by Carolina Kleine Samson, Mana Contemporary, Miami, USA.
2019
«13,700,000 km3», curated by Katerina Gregos, Art Space Pythagorion, Samos, Greece.
Anatomy of Political Melancholy ||, curated by Katerina Gregos, Athens Conservatoire, Greece.
Inner State Photography in Crisis, Slought Foundation, Philadelphia, USA.
2018
30 Under 30 Women Photographers 2018, Maison de la Photographie Lille, France.
Photo-Graphē, Benaki museum Athens, Greece.
30 Under 30 Women Photographers 2018, Galerie Claude Samuel, Paris, France.
Family Portraits Cosmonauts of Inner Space, National Observatory of Athens, curated by Spyros Verykios, Athens, Greece.
Family Portraits Open Studios, Master in Fine Arts, Athens School of Fine Arts, Athens, Greece. (exhibition catalog)
2017
"The Vision of Saint Void", Depo Darm Gallery, curated by Kiriakos Spirou, Athens, Greece.
Inner State Make Yourselves at Home, public space campaign by Depression Era, Athens, Greece.
And the Work of Our Hands, the ArtWall, curated by Kiriakos Spirou, Athens, Greece.
2016
Inner State Young Greek Photographers Athens Photo Festival, Benaki museum, Athens, Greece.
A Process 2.0, Krakow Photomonth, curated by Der Greif, Krakow, Poland.
2015
Athens Biennale 5to6, curated by Xenia Kalpaktsoglou & Poka-Yio, Bageion hotel, Athens, Greece.
2014
Depression Era project, Benaki museum, Athens, Greece.
Depression Era project, Mois de la photo, Central Dupon, Paris, France.
Depression Era project European Month of Photography, Fotóhónap, Budapest, Hungary.
Depression Era project Fotoistabul, Istanbul, Turkey.
Press
Neural / Ecologies of Noise / english
The Guardian / Imagined Images at SEEEU Tokyo / english
BBC / interview/ english
Artreview / exhibition review/ english
WeTransfer / WePresent / essay by Gem Fletcher / english
Beaux Arts magazine / french
WIRED / opinion essay / greek
Grazia / imagined Images / italian
K magazine / Kathimerini newspaper / interview / greek
Aperture / english
Fisheye / 24 digital artists to watch in 2024 / french
Neural / Ecologies of Noise, painting degraded loops / english — Ecologies of Noise
FORMAT / long interview on Imagined Images, A Hollow Garden and Model Collapse / polish
Kathimerini / feature on AI and creative work / greek
Studio International / Plásmata 3 exhibition review / english — The Sleight of the Machine
Danielle Ezzo / A Pixel-Scale Mosaic / interview / english — Model Collapse
Siilk Gallery / interview / english
Tique / Six Questions / interview / english
Le Temps / Images Vevey exhibition review / french — Imagined Images
Lenscratch / feature / english — Imagined Images
Musée Magazine / Missing Mirror exhibition review / english — A Self-Portrait of an Algorithm
Vogue / PhotoVogue Festival feature / english — Imagined Images
Vogue Video / PhotoVogue Festival 2023 / english — Imagined Images · ▶ VIDEO
LiFO / Plásmata feature / greek — The Sleight of the Machine
Contemporary Lynx / Frequency Festival review / english — A Self-Portrait of an Algorithm
C41 Magazine / feature / english — Liquid Identity
Phroom / feature / english — Tears, Spit & Cum
Phases Magazine / feature / english — In Their Own Image
Photologio / feature / greek and english — Family Portraits
Metropolis M / Modern Love exhibition review / english — Family Portraits
Zérodeux / 02 / Modern Love exhibition review / french — Family Portraits
Monocle Radio / interview with Lily Austin / english — Imagined Images · ● AUDIO
ERT Third Programme, Η Εποχή των Εικόνων / interview with Katerina Zacharopoulou / greek — Family Portraits and Modern Love · ● AUDIO
Foteinos Thalamos, Episode 16 / interview on photography, AI and artistic practice / greek · ● AUDIO
Athens Voice / 7 καλλιτέχνες μιλούν για τα Plasmata τους στο Πεδίον του Άρεως / interview / greek
2025’s Power List: Top 50 Women AI Artists
Lenscratch / interview / english
Der Greif / artist feature / english
Phroom / english — Imagined Images
Vice / her data exhibition- interview / greek
Autre magazine / her data exhibition -interview / english
NEO2 magazine / interview / spanish
Coeval magazine / interview / english
Yatzer / portfolio / essay / english
The Culture Trip / 10 Greek photographers to watch out for / english
ArtNews - Τα Νέα της Τέχνης / interview / greek
LensCulture / english
PetaPixel / english — Family Portraits
L’oeil de la Photographie / french - english — Family Portraits
iGNANT / english — Inner State
GUP magazine / english — Inner State
The Greek Foundation / english — Inner State
Ain’t Bad / english — Image Eaters
Booooooom / english — Family Portraits
Artdoc magazine / english — Image Eaters
Arc Tribe magazine / english — Image Eaters
East East / essay / english — Family Portraits
Thessaloniki international film festival / english — Family Portraits
International Photography Grant / english — Image Eaters
Picter / interview / english
Prompt Magazine / essay / english
Ferocious Urbanities / interview / english
Andro.gr / interview / greek
ArtworkFellows / essay / english
Nom Studios / interview / english - turkish
PhotoArtBLOG / interview / english - german
Artpil / 30 under 30 woman photographers 2018 / english
Ringside / interview / english
Athens Photo Festival / Young Greek Photographers 2016 / greek
Cheese magazine / essay / french
Photologio / interview / greek
Artpil / english
Phases Magazine / english
Und.Athens / interview / english
Salt press / interview / russian
Phroom / english — Image Eaters
CType magazine / english — Image Eaters
Kwerfeldein / german — Image Eaters
Phroom / english — Family Portraits
Dodho / english — Family Portraits
Gooood / english - chinese — Family Portraits
Lenscratch / english — Family Portraits
Urbanautica / english — Family Portraits
Kwerfeldein / german — Family Portraits
Aint-Bad magazine / english — Inner State
WP Fotoblogia / essay / polish — Inner State
KALTBLUT magazine / english — Inner State
Label magazine / polish — Inner State
gooood magazine / chinese — Inner State
C-type magazine / english — Inner State
Kwerfeldein / german — Inner State
Dodho magazine / english — Inner State
Positive magazine / english — Inner State
Phos magazine / english — Inner State
Musee magazine / english — Inner State
INAG / english — Inner State
C 41 magazine / english — Inner State
Phroom magazine / english — Inner State
Float photo magazine / english — Inner State
Wip magazine / greek — Inner State
Edge of Humanity Magazine / english — Inner State
Kiosk der Demokratie / english — Inner State
Booooooom! / english — Inner State
Landscape Stories / english — Inner State
Neos Kosmos / english — Inner State
Another Place magazine / english — Inner State
Above Art / russian — Inner State
Designcollector / english — Inner State
Fotonica / english — Inner State
Kiosk der Demokratie / english — The Desire for Consciousness
Phos magazine / english — The Desire for Consciousness
Phases magazine / english — The Desire for Consciousness
Float magazine / english — The Desire for Consciousness
Publications
2026
Daniel Palmer, “The fate of the ‘magical substitute’: personal photography, memory and AI”, Photographies, Volume 19, Issue 1.
Post Human, Siilk Gallery × Stac Magazine, limited-edition photography publication.
2025
Photo Obscura: The Photographic in Post-Photography, Natasha Chuk, Intellect Books.
2024
Foam Magazine #66: Missing Mirror — Photography Through the Lens of AI, publication.
Paola Paleari, “Maria Mavropoulou: A Hollow Garden”, essay commissioned for Foam Magazine #66.
Her Stories: Photographic Practices in Greece, 1974–2024, MOMus bilingual exhibition catalogue.
2023
Modern Love (or Love in the Age of Cold Intimacies), EMST exhibition catalogue, English edition.
MAST Photography Grant on Industry and Work, seventh-edition catalogue, including In Their Own Image.
2022
Art & Technology: The New Generation of Greek Artists, bilingual publication / PDF.
2020
For Ever More Images?, Onassis exhibition catalogue documenting Family Portraits / PDF.
2019
60th Thessaloniki International Film Festival, official catalogue documenting Family Portraits VR / PDF.
2016
Athens Photo Festival / Young Greek Photographers 2016, exhibition catalogue documenting Inner State.
Academic references
“AI-based generative image production systems in the artistic problematisation of the past…”, academic article using Imagined Images as a case study.