Maria Theresa Barbist was born in Schwaz, Austria, and lives and works in Miami, Florida. Her practice translates traumatic memory and emotional states into performative actions, moving images, and sculptural objects, exploring the body as a site of vulnerability, resilience, and transformation.

She holds a PhD in Psychology from the University of Innsbruck and an MFA in New Genres from the San Francisco Art Institute. This interdisciplinary background informs a research-driven approach that bridges psychological inquiry and contemporary art.

Selected solo exhibitions include Kinderland (2019, Taplin Gallery, Miami), Fadenspiele (2015, Swenson Gallery, Miami), and Lebensbilder – Life in Pictures (2013, Studio 16 Gallery, San Francisco). Her work has been featured in group exhibitions such as Deering Contemporary 2026 (Deering Estate, Miami), Women at Large (2024, Atchugarry Gallery, Miami), Echoes: From There To Here (2019, Diego Rivera Gallery, San Francisco), Home Is Where the Heart Is (2018, Neue Galerie, Innsbruck), and Intersectionality in South Florida (2016, MOCA North Miami).

Barbist has received numerous awards, including a Miami Individual Artist Grant (2022), an Ellies Award by Oolite Arts (2020), a Community Grant (2019), and an Awesome Foundation Grant (2018). Her residencies include Bakehouse Art Complex and ProjectArt at the Culmer Overtown Library. Her work is part of the Miami International Airport Collection and private collections.