Maria Murayama is a Japanese sculptor whose work explores the boundaries between life, artifice, and perception through ceramic representations of animals. She graduated from the Sculpture Lab at Musashino Art University and went on to complete her Master’s degree in Sculpture at Tokyo University of the Arts in 2012.

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In 2023, she participated in ART FAIR TOKYO, Japan’s largest contemporary art fair. In the same year, she undertook an artist residency at the European Ceramic Work Centre (EKWC) in the Netherlands from April to June.

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Murayama is known for her ongoing “Stuffed Animals” (Taxidermy) ceramic series, in which lifelike animal forms are adorned with patterns resembling wallpaper or carpet, often appearing wounded or bleeding. By placing these works on stage-like platforms, she evokes a theatrical atmosphere that invites viewers to engage with them as if watching a tragic narrative unfold. Her use of ceramics over actual taxidermy emphasizes the fragility, transformation, and unpredictability of the medium, reflecting the emotional tension at the heart of her work.

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村山まりあ（Maria Murayama）是一位日本雕塑家，其作品透過陶瓷動物再現，探索生命、人工與感知之間的界線。她畢業於武藏野美術大學雕塑研究所，並於2012年取得東京藝術大學雕塑碩士學位。

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2023年，她參與了日本最大當代藝術博覽會「ART FAIR TOKYO」，同年4月至6月期間更獲選進駐荷蘭歐洲陶瓷工作中心（EKWC）進行駐村創作。

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村山以持續發展的《填充動物標本》（Stuffed Animals/Taxidermy）陶瓷系列聞名。該系列以逼真的動物形態為基礎，表面飾以壁紙或地毯般的紋樣，且常呈現受傷流血之態。她將這些作品置於舞台般的展台上，營造出劇場式氛圍，引導觀者如同目睹悲劇敘事般與之互動。相較於真實動物標本，她選擇以陶瓷為媒材，強化了材質本身的脆弱性、可變性與不可預測性，深刻呼應作品核心的情感張力。

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