Maria Nissan is an environmental Assyrian artist born in the United States, with extensive international experience across Europe, the Middle East, and more recently, South-East Asia.
She holds a Bachelor’s degree in Art Education and a Master’s degree in Studio Arts from Florence, Italy. Maria draws much of her inspiration from her Assyrian cultural and familial roots.
For the past decade, Maria has passionately transformed trash into art, using it as a medium to
challenge consumer habits, including what people buy, how they consume, and how they dispose of items.
Through drawings, immersive installations, and exhibitions, Maria’s creations, deeply influenced by her Assyrian heritage, address issues such as plastic pollution, waste consumption, and other environmental and societal concerns.
In countries like the U.S., Maria continues to focus on plastic pollution in both urban and natural environments through MicroPlasticsJO, a non-profit organization she co-founded.
She and her husband collaborate with local communities, conducting artistic workshops and training to reduce the excessive use of single-use plastics and mitigate their pollution.
Maria dreams of initiating projects in the Iraqi Assyrian villages where her family originated,
aiming to alleviate the effects of inefficient waste management.
