Maria Mori is a Japanese-born, self-taught multidisciplinary artist who creates under the pseudonym Foolish Fancy. Moving between mediums, her work reflects her culturally diverse background and a core philosophy: finding magic within the mundane through cycles of change and metamorphosis. She is best known for her blackout and found poetry—a meticulous process of erasure where she isolates words from existing texts. By turning an act of destruction into one of creation, she transforms overlooked narratives into evocative visual art that connects with universal human experiences.

Maria’s career includes numerous solo and group exhibitions, earning international recognition when she was featured in Instagram Poetry For Every Day published by Laurence King Publishing. Her dedicated focus on text-based art culminated in two solo exhibitions, Words That

Remain and Words That Remain 2. Expanding into three-dimensional spaces, Maria debuted her first immersive installation, Collecting Boxes, at the Radical Futures: Rematriation exhibition in Roebourne. Bringing her themes of identity, connection, and reinvention to life, this pivotal installation will be presented at the John Curtin Gallery in September to December 2026 as part of the Radical Futures survey exhibition.

Beyond the gallery, Maria facilitates creative arts programming and events for diverse age groups. Operating under Team Alchemy, she delivers team bonding sessions. These sessions uniquely combine rhythm and drumming with creative arts to foster team unity and communication.

Alongside rhythm work, her signature blackout/erasure poetry workshops provide an impactful analogy for insight and strategic problem-solving.

Maria has lived in Australia for more than half her life, including over 12 years in the Pilbara. A mother of two and a dedicated night owl, her personal environment is an extension of her art—decorated with intentional clutter and a large collection of lovingly half-read books. When she isn’t creating you’ll likely find her singing in the kitchen or behind the wheel completely unbothered by her lack of vocal talent.