Maria Loboda

Maria Loboda is Professor of Sculpture at the Academy of Fine Arts Nuremberg (AdBK Nuremberg), appointed in 2025. She creates enigmatic and carefully composed environments that engage with layered histories while reflecting the present. Her work blends poetic, historical, and philosophical research with formal equations of language and materiality, exploring how objects and symbols communicate beyond their conventional readings.

Her educational background includes:

• 2003-2008: Interdisciplinary Art Studies at the Städelschule in Frankfurt am Main (Mark Leckey's class), Germany

Loboda's research focuses on the intersection of sculpture, materiality, and cultural codes. She investigates how objects and symbols communicate through deconstruction and reorganization, creating what might be termed 'contemporary archaeology.' Her practice examines the grammar of materials and objects, frequently referencing historical and archaeological contexts while maintaining a contemporary perspective. She often works with materials that transform meaning through context and juxtaposition, creating ambiguous spaces where boundaries between real and imitation, ancient and modern, dangerous and tempting become blurred. This approach is particularly evident in her 2023 exhibition 'Faux,' where she explored elegant faux finishes and imitations, transforming gallery spaces into enigmatic environments that challenge viewers' perceptions.

Her recent exhibition history reveals a consistent exploration of material transformation and historical references. Loboda's work demonstrates increasing interest in the dialogue between ancient and contemporary aesthetics, particularly in how cultural meanings are constructed and transformed through material and spatial interventions. Her site-specific installations often engage directly with their historical contexts, as seen in 'Hypermaremma' (2025) at the Archaeological Park of the Ancient City of Cosa in Tuscany.

Her notable awards include:

• 2022: Otillie Roederstein Scholarship, awarded by the Hessian Ministry of Culture
• 2012: Edward Steichen Art Award, New York, including residency at Les Récollets, Paris
• 2010: Dynamo Eintracht Scholarship, Dresden Cultural Foundation/Dresdner Bank
• 2009: Scholarship from Hessian Cultural Foundation for London
• 2006: Dellbrück Bethmann Privatbank Prize, Berlin

Loboda has held visiting lectureships at Zurich University of the Arts (ZHdK, 2015-2016), Institut Kunst Basel, and the Intermedia Department of the University of the Arts in Poznań (2020-2021). Her work is included in prominent collections such as IAC Villeurbanne, Banco de España, and various FRAC collections in France. She maintains active studios in both Krakow and Berlin, where she develops her sculptural and installation work through extensive research into material properties, historical contexts, and cultural symbolism.

Maria Loboda's practice involves creating complex, multi-layered installations that engage viewers on multiple sensory and intellectual levels, often resulting in environments that challenge conventional interpretations of objects and symbols.