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Mariya Ocher

b. 1986

Singer, poet and artist

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About Mariya Ocher

Born 1986. Mariya Ocher is an Israeli singer, songwriter and musician.

Releases Weimar (2026, 10"/digital, Underground Institute) Palazzo Stabile Sessions: Remixes and B-sides (2024, a collection of rarities, digital) Your Guide to Revolution (2024, LP/digital, Underground Institute) Approaching Singularity: Music for The End of Time (2023, LP/CD/digital, Underground Institute) Power and Exclusion From Power (2023, digital EP (Underground Institute)) MOOP! (an autobiographical comic book, drawn by 23 international artists - 2020, Underground Institute) Faust Studio Sessions and Other Recordings (2017, 10"/digital: Klangbad/Sing A Song Fighter, Tape: Related Records) The West Against The People (2017, LP/CD/digital, Klangbad) Arms / remixed (2017, remixes compilation, digital) Mary Ocher + Your Government – Self-titled (2016, LP/CD/digital, Klangbad) 7" – Man VS. Air/Thunderbird (2015, double A-side, limited edition vinyl W/ Your Government) The Fictional Biography of Mary Ocher– The home recordings (2006–2015 - double anthology) (2015, digital) I, Human (remixes EP) (2014, digital, Buabck) EDEN (2013/2014, second edition: 2015) (EU: Buback(CD, digital), Haute Areal(LP) US: Hairy Spider Legs(CD), Related Records(TAPE)) 7" (2012) (aka "Man of 1000 faces") (limited edition vinyl, Haute Areal) War Songs (2011, CD/digital, Haute Areal)

Special shows and appearances

Interview Magazine (German edition) chose Ocher as their Superstar of October 2013 (offline).

ARTE's Into The Night with Ocher and Sasha Grey (2013)

A couple Mary's tracks are featured in the horror film Ava's Possessions, the soundtrack of which was curated by Sean Lennon.

The series Between Two Drummers, a friendly nod to Between Two Ferns was created as part of Mary Ocher + Your Government album promo. Among the guests were Nina Hynes, Ned Collette and Molly Nilsson.

SWR's production Art's Birthday televised a full length performance of Mary Ocher + Your Government premiering new tracks live (2019).

A sold-out show with Your Government at the Deutsche Oper Berlin, followed by sold out shows at SO36 and Berghain Kantine.

Along many solo and band tours (incl. a 9 week / 50 date North American tour), Mary toured Australia with Ned Collette + Wirewalker and Germany with 1000 Robota, The Great Hans Unstern Swindle, Die Goldenen Zitronen and German bestseller author Sibylle Berg, alongside actors Katja Riemann and Matthias Brandt to promote Berg's book Vielen dank für das Leben ("Many Thanks for Life"). Other shows were alongside Silver Apples, Kirin J. Callinan, Lucrecia Dalt and many others.

"Your Guide to Revolution" was featured as "Album of The Week" by The Quietus and listed as an Essential Release and "Best Albums of Spring 2024" by Bandcamp.

Selected festivals: SXSW, Reeperbahn, CTM, Fusion, Pop Montreal, Le Guess Who (curated by Animal Collective), Steirischer Herbst. Other work: Writing, art, film and other

2008-2014: The Sounds of Softness music documentary about a fictional late-1970s avant-garde movement, co-directed with French filmmaker Julien Binet. A project with a variety of collaborators and guest appearances, amongst which members of Malaria!, Einstürzende Neubauten and Cluster (band) as well as Hanin Elias, formerly of Atari Teenage Riot and authors Ken Shakin and François Jonquet.

2009: A multitude of Mary Ocher poems published in various poetry anthologies (2009-2011), later to be collected into a limited edition booklet sold at shows. The Origins of Evil, a photography project, published in several online and printed magazines. Ocher curated The Queens and The Rebels (of Unpopular Culture) - Festival for theatrical music/performance art and multimedia at the legendary Tacheles complex in Berlin. Its second edition was held the following year. She also curated The 15 Minutes Festival performance action in Tel Aviv.

2011: Lomography, "LomoAmigo" solo photography exhibition in Berlin. Group exhibition Zum Schein at the Neurotital gallery/Berlin, and another at Quai de la Batterie in Arras, France. Site-specific installation Restaurant in Bethanien, Berlin.

2014: A video retrospective of Ocher's work shown at Berlin's Galeire Nord, as part of "A Room of One's Own" exhibition. One-off video exhibition with own art collective Autodiktat.

2015: Ocher's Dogme 95 inspired short Pawnshop Santa wins award at Berlin's underground film festival, Boddinale.

2017: Mary is commissioned to write a soundtrack for chosen films as part of the International Film Festival of Ghent, the films: Ballet Mechanique and the Triadisches Ballett, performed with two synthesizers, vocal effects, a self made flute and a piano – using the bare strings and pedals as percussion. Commissioned to perform John Cage's 4"33 at Berlin's Haus der Kulturen der Welt.

2018: Performance of a one-off collaboration on pieces by fusion jazz harpist Dorothy Ashby with the drummers (Your Government) and legendary Mbira player Stella Chiweshe. Mary narrates a surrealist 16mm art film inspired by waterbears by the title "The Hot & The Cold" by artist duo Anja Dornieden and Juan David Gonzalez Monroy, to be screened in 3D, with special light, smoke and sound effects.

2021: Ocher is commissioned to write a sound piece for the contemporary music festival Podium. The result: "Unbetrothed Virgins, Incest, Rape : A study of the old testament in 7 movements" can be heard on location in Esslingen via GPS, as well as online. Misc: Over the years Mary directed a multitude of music videos for other artists, as well as her various projects, in addition to the documentaries All of my problems are imaginary (but my friends are real) and Love Starvation Economy (aka 13 Conversations About Love) featuring interviews and conversations. Many of Ocher's various video-art pieces with original music and texts, photography, typography and drawings are available online on various platforms. 2020–2022

During the pandemic no new Mary Ocher music is released, but the autobiographical comic book MOOP!

In 2020 Mary performed at the first larger scale (300 capacity) socially-distanced music event in Berlin at Haus der Kulturen der Welt, opposite the German parliament. Shortly after, she hosted a mental health support session for musicians, as part of an online event.

In 2021 she starred in Bela Brillowska's experimental short "A Woman in Bed With Radio", debuting some of her then unreleased new recordings. She also contributed music to the animated short "Tako Tsubo" which premiered at Berlinale and continued to do the festival rounds.

She is the founder of the artist platform Underground Institute, and remains its creative director. The UI features artists Limpe Fuchs, Martin Rev of Suicide (band), M Lamar, Ya Tosiba among others. Its radio series "Underground Institute Picks" runs in collaboration with Dublab (LA), Jolt Radio (Miami), Soho Radio and Resonance FM (London), Reboot.fm (Berlin) and more. UI Picks episodes have been curated by cult and underground artists including Paddy Steer, Lydia Lunch, members of Chicks on Speed, and Vanishing Twin, owner of the legendary Voodoo Rhythm Records, Reverend Beat-Man and many others.

2022: Ocher co-curated The Underground Institute Festival with Manu Louis. Featuring live performances, DJ sets, sound pieces, talks and workshops (with artists Limpe Fuchs, Lolina, Alexandra Cardenas, KMRU, Xiu Xiu, Martin Rev and others). Charity Ocher took part in Voices – a series of German fundraiser events for Physicians for Human Rights in Gaza, GENESIS show for The Art of Elysium charity for a children's hospital in LA, to which she was invited by Karen O and Rain Phoenix, alongside SoKo, Moses Sumney, Ariel Pink, Moby and Cat Power.

Releases: "For Belarus" compilation, "Arms" Remixes EP (charity release for asylum seekers), "Power and Exclusion from Power" EP (charity release for humanitarian aid in Ukraine) and curation of UI compilation "Hope for Her Future" for Afghan Women's access to education (in collaboration with Afghan Women's Association, Hamburg).

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Important facts

Birth century
Nationality
Also known as
Mary Ocher

People in Mariya Ocher's life

Named in this biography and alive at the same time

Contemporaries

People whose lives overlapped Mariya Ocher's

Frequently asked questions

Who is Mariya Ocher?

singer, poet and artist

When was Mariya Ocher born?

Mariya Ocher was born on 10 November 1986 in Moscow.

What is Mariya Ocher's occupation?

Mariya Ocher is a singer, songwriter and musician.

What nationality is Mariya Ocher?

Mariya Ocher is Israeli.

Sources & further reading

· Wikipedia: Mariya Ocher

· Wikidata: Q6766078

· DBpedia: Mariya Ocher

Cite this page

APA: Biography.guide. (2026). Mariya Ocher. https://biography.guide/mariya-ocher/

MLA: "Mariya Ocher." Biography.guide, https://biography.guide/mariya-ocher/.

Chicago: "Mariya Ocher." Biography.guide. https://biography.guide/mariya-ocher/.

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