Maria Averina (b. 1993 in Pretoria, South Africa). Cultural manager, producer, curator. Studied in HEC Paris (management) and Lomonosov Moscow State University (history of art). Until recent move to Helsinki, worked as Head of the Department for regional projects at The State Pushkin Museum of Fine Arts, one of the largest museums in Russia. Together with the team, was responsible for developing and producing art projects, mostly focused on contemporary art and aimed at cultural decentralization.