VFX Artist Maria Sahai on Photography, Houdini FX, and Cinematic World-Building

What happens when a lifelong passion for photography meets the limitless possibilities of visual

effects? You get the multifaceted journey of Maria Sahai, FX artist, educator, photographer, and co-founder of VFX Mojo.

From growing up inspired by her grandparents’ black-and-white travel photography to becoming an internationally recognized professional, Maria’s creative path has always been driven by observation, storytelling, and a deep appreciation for the natural world. Her transition into VFX opened a new dimension for that curiosity, allowing her to reimagine reality through complex simulations and procedural workflows in Houdini.

Today, Maria brings her unique blend of artistic eye and technical mastery to major film productions, including Dune: Part Two, Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga, and Guillermo del Toro’s Cabinet of Curiosities, while also shaping the next generation of artists through education, workshops, and studio training. In this interview, she shares how photography informs her FX work, why mentorship matters, and how GridMarkets empowers her to create without hardware limitations, wherever in the world her work takes her.

Mad Max furiosa

Dune part 2

Cabinet of Curiosities

Read Maria's full story and explore her work: Interview