Maija Bondar (b. 1981, Ukraine) is a photographer based in Finland. She was born in Ukraine, moved to Russia with her family as a child, and later settled in Finland. Her experience of migration and living in different cultural contexts has become the foundation of her artistic expression.
Bondar became interested in photography in 2020 and graduated from the Arts Academy at Turku University of Applied Sciences in 2025.
In her projects, she explores how events in the external world affect personal life and the perception of identity. Working with self-portraiture and landscape, she transforms personal experience into visual narratives.
Her works have been presented on international platforms such as CPOY (College Photographer of the Year), the Helsinki Photo Festival, and others.
Solo exhibition
2024 We and Others, Integration2024, Logomo, Turku, Finland
Group exhibitions
2025 Belgrade Photo Month. Photography
Screening Night.
2024 Kymmenes kaiku. Köysiratagalleria, Turk, Finland
Jokainen ihminen on pieni maailma. Galleria Hoppa, Jyväskylä, Finland
Just women. Galerie Joseph Le Palais, Paris
2023 Nordic photography. Swedish-Finnish Cultural Centre, Helsinki, Finland
Helsinki Photo Festival. Sanoma House, Helsinki, Finland
Selected Awards
2023 College Photographer of the Year, finalist
Helsinki Photo Festival, winner
Kolga Tbilisi Photo, shortlist
Publications
Helsingin Sanomat | See: Zeen Magazine | Float Magazine | F-Stop Magazine | Republic Magasin | Iconic Artist Magazine | “Colors of Orthodoxy” book | “Alue 16” book
Grants
2024 Arts Promotion Centre Finland
Finnfoto
2025 Arts
Promotion Centre Finland
Education
2025 Turku University of Applied Science, Fine Arts (Turku, Finland)
2024 Elina Brotherus Masterclass
2024 Academy of Documentary and Art Photography Fotografika (Saint Petersburg, Russia)
2023 Practical school Gradia, Media and visual expression Faculty (Jyväskylä, Finland)
2004 North-Western State Technical University “Economics and Management at the
Enterprise” (Saint Petersburg, Russia)