Born in Jerusalem, Israel, Barkai is a graduate of the School of Visual Arts’ Photography Department (BFA 2005), and has been based in New York City for the past nine years. She spent her military service in the Israeli Defense Forces as a military photographer for the IDF Official Magazine, “BaMachaneh”. Her photographs have been exhibited worldwide, and she is the recipient of the National Press Photographers Foundation Grant (2005). Barkai’s work was included in the Sony World Photography Awards (2008), W Magazine’s Next Fashion Photographer’ showcase, as well as Penguin, Nerve, and Foam Magazine among other publications. Maya's most recent projects include Men At Work, surrounding the construction site of World Trade Center - Tower 4, as well as Walking Men 99TM, a site-specific Public Art Installation, on site of the upcoming Four Seasons Hotel in NYC’s Downtown area, both part of the Re:Construction Program by the Alliance for Downtown New York. Additional projects include Walking Men PERMM, a public art installation in collaboration with the PERMM Museum of Contemporary art in Russia, and Men at Work as part of the Bat Yam International Biennale for Landscape Urbanism in Israel.
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EDUCATION
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2005 Bachelor of Fine Arts (BFA), with Honors - School of Visual Arts Photography Departpment, New York

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SELECTED EXHIBITIONS
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One Person Exhibitions

2011-2012 Men At Work – A Public Art installation by Maya Barkai, World Trade Center - Tower 4, New York, NY
2011-2012 Walking Men 99™ - 2nd Edition - A Public Art Installation by Maya Barkai - 99 Church Street, New York, NY
2010-2011 Men At Work – A Public Art installation by Maya Barkai, Bat Yam International Biennale of Landscape Urbanism, Bat-Yam, Israel
2010-2011 Walking Men PERMM – A Public Art installation by Maya Barkai - Museum for Contemporary Art PERMM, Perm, Russia
2010 Walking Men 99™ - A Public Art Installation by Maya Barkai - 99 Church Street, New York, NY
2005 Bed Landscapes / Maya Barkai - Atrium Gallery, Bergen County, NJ
2003 Maya Barkai, Selected Work - School of Visual Arts Photography Department Gallery, New York, NY

Group Exhibitions

2011 The Unseen Eye: Photographs from the W.M. Hunt Collection, George Eastman House, Rochester, New York
2011 Saatchi Online - Art Paris, France
2008 Secret Art III - Beit Mani, Bank Leumi, Tel Aviv, Israel
2008 SlideLuck PotShow XI - The Chelsea Art Museum, New York
2006 Carnival Of Style - 14th Street Y Gallery, New York
2006 The UJA Israeli Fine Art Fair - JCC on th4 Palisades Gallery, Tenefly, NJ
2006 PIP - Pingyao International Photography Festival - Pingyao, China
2005 Mentor Show - School of Visual Arts Gallery, New York
2005 70 Years / 70 Covers from Bamachaneh Magazine - Givatayim Theatre, Givatayim, Israel
2005 Behind The Lens, Guess? & W Magazine Showcase - Spike Gallery, Chelsea, New York
2005 ARTIS 2005 - Reflections - Nexus Projects Gallery, New York
2004 After The Light - The Andy Warhol Factory Space, New York
2004 New York / New Work - Givatayim Theatre, Givatayim, Israel

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SELECTED GRANTS / AWARDS
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2008 Sony World Photography Awards - Professional Shortlist
2008 Queen Sofia Center International Photography Finalist
2005 Behind The Lens, Guess? & W Magazine Fashion Photographer Finalist
2005 School of Visual Arts Chairman Grant
2004 National Press Photographers Foundation Grant
2004-2005 Special Photography Department Award
2003-2004 Silas Rhodes Grant

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SELECTED PUBLICATIONS / CATALOGUES
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2011 PERMM Museum of Contemporary Art Public Art Program Catalogue, PERMM, Russia
2011 A Book Of Beds - A Selection of Foam Magazine Talent photographs, Foam, Netherlands. PP. 88-89
2010 Timing 2010 – The Bat Yam International Biennale for Landscape Urbanism Catalogue, Israel P. 196
2010 Alliance for Downtown New York, Alliance for Downtown New York Annual Report, USA
2008 NERVE The First Ten Years – Chronicle Books, USA, P. 163
2008 Smut Vol. 1 - Chronicle Books, USA, P. 98 & 145
2005 Re-Creative 50 projects for turning found items into contemporary design, Steve Dodds, Penguin, UK

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SELECTED COLLECTIONS
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Dancing Bare Collection - W.M Hunt, NY
Alexander Collection, NY
Adjmi collection, NY

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