Mônica Maia is the creator of the Mulheres Luz project, a platform for researching and publishing content produced by women photographers, which was launched in 2021. She serves as the president of the Network of Cultural Producers of Photography in Brazil and is a member of the National Council for Cultural Policy. Additionally, since 2019, she has been a curator in the New Photography Program at the Museum of Image and Sound in São Paulo.
From 2012 to 2022, she was a partner at DOC Galeria, a space dedicated to documentary photography and photojournalism. With DOC Galeria, she managed the Nikon Gallery from 2014 to 2016 and launched Feira Cavalete, a photography fair, which has had 13 editions since 2015.
From 2011 to 2022, Monica was the producer of Mostra SP de Fotografia, an annual photographic occupation project in São Paulo's Vila Madalena neighborhood. From 1987 to 2007, she worked as a photographer and editor at Agência Estado, the news agency of the O Estado de S.Paulo and Jornal da Tarde newspapers, and has been a contributor to the Folha de S.Paulo newspaper since 2012.
Maia has produced and curated more than 40 exhibitions, and she reads portfolios and monitors projects. She was a member of the jury for the first edition of the Chico Albuquerque Photography Award in Fortaleza. She curated the projects 'Por dentro de um tempo suspenso,' a photocall during the pandemic, and 'Testemunhos para o não esquecimento,' images of the Brumadinho tragedy, both presented at the Tiradentes Photography Festival in 2019 and 2021. In 2021, she curated the Everyday Brazil and Imagens Periféricas festivals.
World Press Photo Involvement:
2024 World Press Photo Contest jury member
1999 World Press Photo Contest jury member
1999 Joop Swart Masterclass participant
Mônica Maia on Social Media:
Instagram: @momaia
