lives and work in Dießen am Ammersee _ Munich, Germany
* Munich
since 2019 Alumni of University of Art Burg Giebichenstein Halle
2018 and 2020 birth of my daughters Aurora and Amanda
Member of BBK, Professional association of visual artists
Member of BKV, Professional association of arts and crafts
Maria Mayer studied at the Burg Giebichenstein University of Art in Halle/Saale, textile studies under Prof. Bettina Göttke-Krogmann and object/glass (BROG) under Prof. Christine Triebsch.
She has initiated cross-class projects, collaborations, and her practice focuses on the exploration and combination of materials and raw materials, such as mycelium, plants, bacteria and glass into textile techniques.
Mayer works at the intersection of research, art, design, and the philosophy of contemporary Alchemy, investigating transformative processes in materials and their symbolic, cultural, and ecological significance. Her work also emphasizes the communication of the cultural and historical value of textiles.
As a leading member of the cultural collective Freie Kunstanstalt, an Offspace in Dießen am Ammersee, she is actively involved in curating exhibitions and fostering artistic exchange in rural areas.
The connection between humans and nature forms the line of Mayer’s practice. Her work is driven by an intuitive, process-oriented engagement with natural raw materials, exploring their potential in dialogue with traditional textile heritage. It reflects a deep respect for the millennia-old tradition of natural dyeing, which she views as both a cultural artifact and a living practice.
So she seeks to uncover the poetic interplay between materiality, time, and human ingenuity, highlighting the enduring relevance of craft in fostering ecological and cultural harmony.

Reed. Favorit working material. Lagune Dießen, DE
by Sebastian Quiroz
GRANTS, RESIDENCIES & WORKSHOPS
2023/24
Makerspace Workshop Artist Grant, Urban Collab & Competence Team Culture & Creative sectors Munich
2023
Kunst für uns, Professional Association of Visual Artists Bavaria, art in public space, Bavarian ministry of economics and art, Munich
2022
Building your professional backbone, international summertraining for emerging artists, the artist and the others and Platform, Munich
Project Grant, Foundation Experience Art, Ravensburg
2021/22
Young Art and New Ways, Grant for artists by the Bavarian ministry of economics and art, Bayern Innovativ
2020
Working grant from the Saxony-Anhalt Art Foundation and the Bergesche Monastery Foundation
Working Grant MaDe, Materialdesigners Milano/Politechnico, Barcelona/Elisava, London/Matter, Creative European Program, ES,IT,GB
2019
Lab Assistance, Institute of Advanced Architecture , BioLab, FabTextiles Programm, Barcelona, ES
2017
Residency, Académie Galan, FR
PUBLICATION , PRESS
2025 Seamagazin, Storyboard GmBh, Portrait by Alissa Selge
2023 Art Aurea, Arts, Craft, Life, Portrait, Genius Loci, 04/23
2023 Süddeutsche Zeitung, newspaper, BioDesign, Portrait by Renate Greil
2023 BR, Public Broadcasting Television, Zwischen Spessart und Karwendel, Portrait by Julia Seidel
2022 Bavarian Crafts Council, Catalog
2021 MaterialDesigners - Boosting talent towards circular Economies, Politechnico Mailand | Elisava Barcelona | Matter London
2021 So long, Plastic! von BeyondPlastic, ISBN 978-3-00-067649-9
EXHIBITIONS
2024
Saxony Anhalt Arts Foundation, Directions, curated by Dr. Ines Engelmann
2023
a.topos venice TheCreativeRoom#3 „Navigating the city“,
Venice, IT, curate by cultural collective a.topos
with Antonio Karuso, Martina Cavallarin, Miguel Mallol
2022
Gallery Blaues Haus, Longing, Dießen am Ammersee, Munich,
curated by Dr. Silvia Carola Dobler
Gallery for applied arts, Munich, curated by Dr. Monika Fahn
Gallery Offspace "Freie Kunstanstalt", Dießen am Ammersee
2021
Gallery feldfünf, Metropolenhaus, Berlin
curated by International center of design e.V.
2020
Dutch Design Week, Eindhoven, NL
Isola Design District, Milano, IT
Galerie Erik Bausmann, Mainz
2019
Bio.Plastic.both?, Material Archive, Gewerbemuseum Winterthur, Zurich University of the Arts ZHdK, Burg Giebichenstein University of Art, CH, GR
curated by Prof. Aart von Bezooijen, Franziska Müller-Reissmann, Mario Pellin, Prof. Mareike Gast, Prof. Bettina Göttke-Krogmann
2018
Saxony Anhalt Arts Foundation, Retrospective cooperation, curated by Prof. Ute Mahler, Prof. Thomas Greis, Heike Becker, Sofia Löser
AWARDS
2022
BKV Award, international award of Bavarian Arts and Crafts Council
Nomination, Upper Bavarian Award for Applied Arts
2021
Shortlist Beyond Plastic Award
Nomination, Federal Ecodesign Award, GER, Category Young Talent
2020
Nomination MaDe Award, category „Best Future Vision", Materialdesigners, ES,IT,GB
2017
Nomination Burg Giebichenstein Design Award, category Most intresting experiment, University of Art Burg Giebichenstein
LECTURES
since 2021 artistic director and initiator of RefashionLab,
education about fast fashion and values of textile culture
EDUCATION
2013/2019 University of Art Burg Giebichenstein, Halle, GER
2010/2013 Bavarian State Theater, Residenz, Munich, GER,
Textile Workshop, Graduation with honors