Collection: Maria Schneider

Bio

Maria Schneider’s art is characterized by graphic simplicity and conceptual undertones. A native of Madrid, Spain, Schneider studied at The Art Student League in New York, NY, and the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts in Philadelphia, PA. She is a member of NextFab, a makers-space in Philadelphia, where she works with lasers, LED lighting, and other technologies which she incorporates in her artistic practice. Previously, she completed a Law Degree and an MBA, disciplines that now inform her work. 
Drawing and experimentation have always been central to her artistic practice in which she marries art and technology using basic elements of drawing and simple lighting techniques. Her new ventures into photography use layering ideas to create mystical landscapes of color and shape. 
Her work is part of several corporate collections – CubeSmart, PricewaterhouseCoopers, AIR Communities, Rhino Investments, Raynes Lawn Hehmeyer, Lincoln Harris, myCIO, as well as private collections. She has exhibited at the Barnes Foundation, Rowan University, Pennsylvania State Museum, Philadelphia City Hall, CFEVA, several Philadelphia downtown galleries, as well as at ArtPrize in Grand Rapids, MI, and Samara Gallery in Houston, TX.

Statement

"My work expands upon my interests in urban environments, their past and present; the history that defines the buildings, neighborhoods and cities, and our perception of these environments.  Based on research from archival collections, gathered images and photographs, I portray the morphing realities of the urban landscape in the 21st century through the buildings that mark the changing realities of these urban environments, and at the same time, I portray the history of people through the spaces they inhabit.

I use digital manipulation, laser engraving and LED lighting to create simple urban narratives. I use current and old imagery bringing to the present the history of what has become invisible. I draw from the work of the greatest architects, iconic buildings, from the forgotten neighborhoods and places we inhabit.   I digitally manipulate these architectural views to transform them into urban environments to create mystified urban landscapes."