Forbidden Encounters

In this body of work, Maria uses black ink, acrylic, and felt pen on paper, imbuing the series with a diary-like drawing aesthetic. Forbidden Encounters addresses female frustration and struggle with being sexually outspoken, especially in the MENA region. Patriarchal structures tend to oppress and treat these women as immoral and distasteful. The series is a fictional narrative responding to these realities, transforming them into short stories and miniature-like poems. Her naïve drawings portray intimate dialogues, desires, and idealization of the sexes. Each narrative presents different characters, a main character that is half-animal and half-human, inspired by The Centaurides, as well as different animals, all embodying sexual liberation. The illustrative journal of encounters narrates and transforms these desires into a suggestive manual where the viewer explores a folkloric layer of intimacy and fetishism.

Exhibition 1 — Solo exhibition, at Gallery “that's what X said”, Brussels.
16 February - 2 April, 2023

Exhibition 2 — Collective exhibition “Small Bones of Courage” at Spazju Kreativ, Malta. 7 March - 27 April, 2025
The collective exhibition featured women artists with personal experiences of dislocation, migration, war, identity, and fragmented memory. It was commissioned by Spazju Kreativ, produced by Noon Art Projects and Unfinished Art Space, and supported by the Malta Tourism Authority.