Maria Fedorova is a Museeum contributing editor, media theorist and public educational programs curator for art projects and festivals. Currently based in Vancouver she dedicates her time to research how precarious aesthetics is manifested in contemporary video art at Simon Fraser University. Alongside her research, Maria is contributing to Decoy Magazine and The Temporary Art review. She is a member of ISEA2015, the 21st International Symposium on Electronic Art organizing committee; Communications and Social Media Chair, and is on the Board of Directors at VIVO Media Arts Centre, Vancouver.
Your secret art venue when you seek peace and quiet
I love Jeu de Paume in Paris. I like the neighborhood, watching people lining up to get inside. I remember the line up to Ai Weiwei’s show, it was particularly long.
The best food experience in an art space
MCA Chicago. I only had coffee there but the space impressed me – beautiful terrace with a breathtaking view of the Anne and John Kern Terrace Garden.
I was lucky enough to see the installation Grid Is a Grid Is a Grid Is a Grid Is a Grid by Johnston Marklee at the cafe. Johnston Marklee is an LA-based architecture studio, awardee of multiple architecture and design competitions known for its designs of Murakami archive room in LA, lakeside pavilion at the Strandbad Mythenquai in Zurich, Switzerland and more. He transformed the café space creating an immersive installation that activated the space.
A museum gift shop that you never leave empty handed
I love bookstores. There are so many I love. Flammarion at Centre Pompidou, for example. I guess my favourite is the Helmut Newton Foundation in Berlin. I am a huge fan of Helmut Newton and I don’t remember when I left this museum without buying his book or limited edition postcards. It is a great museum! One of my favourites. 
Your museum with a wow-factor
I was very impressed by MASP, Sao Paulo Museum of Art. I like this constructivist building. It is located on the Paulista avenue, a very busy street. Every time I passed by, there would be a protest happening, or some gathering, or just people randomly dancing. Sao Paulo is so fast!
Please share with us a special personal memory related to a museum experience
I have many good memories associated with the Tretyakov Gallery in Moscow. To start with, it is the first museum I remember myself visiting. It was back in 90s when I was…younger. But I remember very vividly my experience of going to a museum, being there. Years after I worked for the magazine – “The Tretyakov Gallery Magazine” – published by the gallery. It was a very exciting time for me to meet renowned artists and be a part of this community. Moreover, the gallery has a great educational program. And it’s free!
