Maria Guțu (b. 1996, Moldova) is an artist working primarily with photography, exploring themes of remote places, youth, the concept of home, and the relationship between humans and the environment. In 2022, she completed her studies at the Docdocdoc School of Modern Photography in Saint Petersburg. Prior to that, she graduated in cinematography from the Academy of Music, Theatre, and Fine Arts in Chișinău, Moldova. In 2018, she was named one of Artpil’s ‘30 under 30’ women photographers. Since 2021, Maria has been a member of Women Photograph. Her work has been recognized internationally, with portraits from her Homeland project shortlisted for the Sony World Photography Awards in 2022 and 2023. In 2023 and 2024, she was shortlisted and won awards from the Portrait of Humanity initiative by the British Journal of Photography. Maria was also awarded a mentorship grant from the VID Foundation in 2023. In 2024, she won the Leica Oskar Barnack Newcomer Award for her long-term project Homeland. Maria has participated in collective exhibitions across various countries, including Romania, Germany, the UK, Hungary, etc.