Makar Artemev
You can’t miss Maria Roi. From Kyiv, the rising social media star, designer and make-up artist has amassed over 1.6 million followers on TikTok with her quirky, colourful lipsyncs staged in parks, U-Bahn stations and liminal spaces across the city. In self-made, multicoloured regalia that blends 1920s cabaret with burlesque, steampunk and traditional Ukrainian dress, she creates videos – sometimes epigrammatic, sometimes full-length cinematic – with vintage, vivid minimalism. Yet this Hollywoodesque grandeur contrasts with the clownishness of her expressions and lightning-fast edits. It’s simultaneously nostalgic and of-the-moment.
Her most recent production, an ambitious choreography to Imogen Heap’s ‘Headlock’, has over 1.5 million views on TikTok, set in multiple locations and with the equivalent production setup of a short film. It’s fair to say that her content is far-reaching (some videos exceed 15 million views) but beyond the clicks, Maria explores a depth of heritage and pinpoints how it feels to bring her unique style into the attention of millions.
Makar Artemev
Can you tell us a little bit about your journey?
I’m from Kyiv, Ukraine, and ended up moving here in 2022 because of the war. I’ve always been creating art, but I never worked in fashion consistently. I was just working in cafés or restaurants, and then I switched to being a freelance social media creator. But I would consider myself an artist first and foremost.
I started to become influenced by the techno and queer scene in Kyiv. There’s this club that has similar vibes to Berghain called K41. I would go there and see people who were committed to what they wore. I started to think about how I would dress up for the club and would create new looks and get new ideas every day. Back then, I was going to work in my crazy outfits and makeup. I ended up quitting my job and started doing social media. Then the first video I posted blew up with 10k likes.
Photo Credit: @rutalovesfun
Your style is very unique. Are you able to pinpoint where it comes from?
Again, I never studied fashion, so I never really aimed to do specific trends. I was just creating things I liked. But after I started posting my outfits on TikTok, I learned more about cabaret, burlesque, clowns and steampunk. Also, one of my biggest sources of inspiration is French artist Paulin Vincent. I might have seen multiple examples and artists that have created art and performances in a similar direction to Paulin, but she’s so artistically excellent and unique in her work. I have so much respect for her. I just want to thank her for sharing her work with us. She helped me to define my own style and I can’t be more grateful.
I believe that inspiration comes not from an idea itself, but from who executes it. People usually say: nothing is original. But I can’t fully agree with this. Ideas are nothing without an artist.
Photo Credit: Mari Roi
Where do you get your outfits from?
I’d say 75% of my wardrobe is from thrift stores, flea markets or gifted by my friends and followers. 15% is upcycled or designed pieces by me, and the other 10% is from those silly carnival stores, where people dress up for celebrations like Halloween.
Photo Credit: @enbyslugs
Do you create them yourself?
Yes, all of my looks are fully created by me, if we talk about styling or upcycling. I’m not a designer, but sometimes I do create pieces (mostly accessories or stuff like headpieces, bras, etc.). And of course makeup is fully done by me. 90% of my wigs are also styled by me. I don’t know how to design clothes professionally; I just get an idea and try my best to make it work.
Most of the time, these pieces are not for practical wear, only for artistic use. For example, I made a candleholder bra. I just found two candleholders (for walls) at a flea market and also a few chains, then figured out how to make it stay on my body – and serve the purpose of a bra. And yes, you can wear it with the actual candles and even light them up, which was my original idea. But you have to be very careful. I did it with a head piece which hid my hair, so it would be safe. But honestly, the fire was taking all of the oxygen, so it was getting hard to breathe!
Do you have some favourite Berlin stores where you source items from?
I really love PICKNWEIGHT. They have a lot of great clothes for a really nice price, especially in my style! I also recommend flea markets, like the one at Boxhagener Platz. I think it’s a great spot with so many different people, and I sometimes get to hear the stories behind the things I’m buying. I also love Deiters. It’s a big German carnival store. It’s kind of overpriced though, but sometimes there are things there I didn’t know I needed.
Photo Credit: Ann Vendi
How has your approach to making videos evolved over time? Right now it seems like you’re hitting your stride.
I used to think that I was a photographer. I always loved taking pictures of myself, then I started doing shoots of other people. I realised that didn’t inspire me. When I started doing the lipsync videos, I became more professional. I wanted to dance and be the star of my own videos.
It sounds very Gen Z, but my editing and colour influences come from TikTok. I just want to put rich content in short formats and put as much as I can in one video. Filmmaking is my real passion, and I’ve always been inspired by music videos. I always try to express how I feel about the song. Creating videos is like writing a poem, so each shot has to follow the next one. One of the recent videos I made, to ‘Headlock’ by Imogen Heap, was half storyboarded and half improvised.
Photo Creidt: Alex Pavlov
That video already has 1.5 million views! How was the process of creating it?
At first, I thought it would be easier to make, but to be honest, it was very challenging. I had to make and carry huge bags of props while wearing these outfits. I had to call in some help from some followers as well. I would see some shooting locations, like the place with the sand in Grunewald (Sandgrube), and have some random ideas about wanting to shoot there.
Photo Credit: Ann Vendi
Have you used your platform to talk about your Ukrainian background and what it means to you?
Last year in 2025, I created this work that I wanted to dedicate to the national Ukrainian day of embroidery, Vyshyvanka Day. It was one of my favourite pieces. I have a very specific life story, as my ancestors are from Ukraine and Belarus, but my parents are from Russia and they met in Ukraine. I had to learn Ukrainian in school.
I really wanted to show how beautiful our culture is. Russia has been trying to erase our culture for centuries. For a very long time, I was still not so attached to Ukrainian culture but I had to come such a long way.
I was always Ukrainian, but I realised I couldn’t just say that I’m Ukrainian and at the same time do nothing for the country or for the culture. With a history of oppression, as an artist, I have to talk about it. I’m proud of being Ukrainian. We’re always fighting for our right to exist as a nation. As an artist, I connect with people from across the world and get to show how beautiful our culture is.
How do you see yourself growing in the social media space, and what about outside of it?
I would be happy if I could do some performances – to tell my stories or perform live. I already have some drafts and ideas and I’m already thinking about stories for shows. I also really want to shoot inside the ICC and film in the opera or on a circus stage. I also have a magazine coming out I worked on with a friend of mine, Ann Vendi. It’s very meaningful to both of us.
I realised about a year ago that I wanted to create some music, so I’m also working on some music with a songwriter and producer who reached out to me. The song will be called ‘Puzzle’, and it talks about putting the last piece of the puzzle together in my artistic direction.
Photo Credit: Ann Vendi
How do you feel about the increasingly large role social media is playing in all our lives and the mainstream adoption of AI?
I believe that inspiration comes not from an idea itself, but from who executes it.
It’s very sad to look at the political situation in general and at what TikTok has become. I think it wasn’t as bad and censored as it is now. Right now, I’m confused about the future of social media. People used to talk about how it takes away so much of our time, how it impacts self worth and how people edit themselves. Now it has become worse with AI, because you don’t know whether people are real or not. There’s also the censorship you see now in the USA. But even as damaging as social media is, I’m very happy that people can find some sense of meaning and joy through it, and I’m very grateful to all the people who follow me.
You have to be online all the time and be aware about what’s going on. If I wasn’t a creator, I don’t think I’d be on social media at all, but as much as social media is damaging, I’m happy to meet similar artists creating on TikTok. If social media stopped existing, then I would need to think about where my art would go, and whether it would exist at all.
Follow Maria on IG @imroi2003
