Maria Baranova is a New York-based photographer and art director whose primary subjects are dance and experimental theater. She holds a formal education in painting and photography, which has provided a technical and conceptual basis for her work. Over the past decade, Baranova has steadily developed her practice by documenting a wide range of performances in New York, across the United States, and internationally.

Baranova’s approach is influenced by her early involvement with collage making, painting, and layout design. These experiences have shaped her understanding of composition, light, and color, lending her photographs a distinctive, layered quality. Her work is especially noted for its ability to capture movement with remarkable clarity and emotion, conveying the physicality and rhythm of performance. In her photography, she seeks to evoke the atmosphere and energy of live events, often creating images that feel both considered and spontaneous.

From 2017 to 2019, Baranova participated in The International Summer Program at the Watermill Center, where she had the opportunity to work with Robert Wilson. Wilson’s approach to lighting and spatial composition influenced her photographic work, leading her to explore new ways of using light and structuring space in her images.

info@mariabaranova.com