Maria Lax
Finland
Maria Lax is a Finnish photographer and director based in London. Maria’s work reflects her fascination with folklore, beliefs and the otherworldly; themes that flow effortlessly into her work. Maria’s work was recently on display at The National Portrait Gallery as part of the Taylor Wessing Portrait Photo Prize, and has been exhibited in over 14 countries. Lax has published two photographic books, “Taken by the Tide’ (Nazraeli Press, 2023) and ‘Some Kind of Heavenly Fire’ (Setanta Books, 2020), and her third book, “Stray Sod” (Setanta Books) delving into Irish folklore was published in April 2026.
Instagram• SERIES •
Stray Sod
“There are certain places which the fairies have power over at night and if anybody goes in to them after dusk, he cannot come out until morning though he may be walking all night.”
In Irish folk tradition, there are many accounts relating the experience of people traveling alone at night who suffer sudden fits of confusion and disorientation. Such bouts were at times attributed to the power of the fóidín mearbhall, stray sod, an enchanted patch of earth which would profoundly disorient those who stepped upon it.
