Mary McArrow

Mariia studied philology in the University but decided to dedicate her life to journalism and photography. It all started with her love with rock-n-roll music; She’s always loved rock music. She was enchanted by the work of Anton Corbijn, Tom Sheehan and Annie Leibovitz, which perfectly captured emotions, feelings and life of rock stars – such as music, they were music in photo form.
Mariia started to take photos at the same time she started to travel – around 2011. Her favourite theme has always been Britain – first British music, then the country itself, its landscapes, people and football. Mariia’s biggest obsession is grassroots music and football. Between 2012 and 2014, Mariia and her friend Lisa worked on a project called 'The Foxy Crew'. They photographed and filmed young musicians who were not yet known and musicians who had already experienced their moment of fame and were no longer as popular. Mariia also has an ongoing video/photo project about English non-league football named Non Blogue on YouTube and planning to do an exhibition of her pictures of grassroots football.
Mariia has met amazing professional artists in England – such as Joe Lynn and Gary Lambert and she learnt a lot from them. They’re interested in same themes as Mariia; they also taking pictures of musicians and football – not for reports, but as form of art.
Portrait, probably, is Mariia’s favourite genre, but she also loves to take pictures of the cities. She loves the idea that you can put your own thoughts and senses in these pictures and make them emotional in your own way.
Mariia participated in protest actions in Russia against current Russian regime and took a series of portraits of Russian opposition leaders back in 2013. She moved from Russia in 2022, at the moment she lives in Tbilisi, Georgia.

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I believe that art is freedom. A freedom to express yourself, to show your emotions. I believe that a true artist not only reflects reality but also creates it in some way through their art, showing their own emotions and feelings about real objects. 

It’s also the truth. You can’t fool the lens of real art. If you’re ugly inside, you can’t be portrayed as a beautiful person. It’s impossible. The photos or videos of a true artist will reveal your true self.