Maria Kapajeva

Maria Kapajeva is an artist whose work often explores a diverse spectrum of cultural identity and gender issues within historical and contemporary contexts. The artist uses various mediums, such as video, photography, textile and installations, to bring to the focus what is often left invisible or stays in peripheral vision. Focusing often on women’s position in contemporary society, she aims to question how identities are formed via subconscious effects of advertising, moves, and popular media through research-based work.

Her artist book ‘Dream Is Wonderful, Yet Unclear’ (Milda Books, 2020) got The Kraszna-Krausz Photo Book Award 2021. The first book ‘You can call him another man’ (Kaunas Photography Gallery, 2018) was shortlisted for Aperture Photobook Award. In 2018 her video work ‘Test Shooting’ got Runner-Up Award at FOKUS Video Art Festival in Denmark.

Kapajeva’s works exhibit internationally including the most recent shows at Estonian Museum of Art KUMU (2022), F3freiraum für fotografie (Germany, 2022), Finnish Museum of Photography (2021), Lithuanian Gallery of Photography (2020) and Tallinn Art Hall (Estonia, 2020). Her video works were screened at various venues and festivals including Art Viewer (2023, Spain), Von Krahl Kino (2022, Estonia), VAFT: Visual Art Festival (2020, Finland) and others. 

Kapajeva is a Member of Estonian Artists’ Association. From 2021 she has started a practice-based PhD at Estonian Academy of Arts.