Maria Coletsis MFA

Maria received her BFA from Vancouver’s Emily Carr College of Art and Design in 1990 and then attended the San Francisco Art Institute where she completed the MFA program with a major in Photography in 1995. She has participated in many group and solo exhibitions both locally and internationally with her diverse photography. Recent exhibitions include CBC Radio 3’s “Connect the Dots” multi-media touring exhibition across Canada and with the “Don’t go to Work” group exhibit shown at the Rhodes and Mann Gallery in London, England. Her work has been included in the last two Artropolis art exhibitions in Vancouver. Her series of photographs which explore various sub-culture themes appear in many magazines such as Vice (Montreal), Bolz (London), Bizarre (London) and have been presented on CBC Radio3 webzine as the featured artist on two occasions. Currently working on a series of photographs and interviews which explores the international world of “Dominatrix Culture”, Maria plans to expand this project into a book.

Artist’s statement:

In cyberspace, the term "avatar" is used to describe one’s personal manifestation in a virtual world. I am curious with the ways that people choose to express their virtual identity. An avatar is the graphic icon personalized by their users to represent themselves within a visual chat room environment. Avatar Portraits is my attempt to link the physical with the virtual at the same moment, while addressing contemporary aspects of communication and identity.

www.mariacoletsis.com