MÁRIO MACILAU

''Macilau traverses a kaleidoscope of themes, from identity and politics to environmental concerns and the narratives of marginalized communities. Through his lens, he endeavors to ignite transformative conversations that transcend borders, cultures, and perspectives.'' (AKKA Projects, 2024)

Mozambican photographer Mário Macilau (MZ, 1984) is a leading figure from an outstanding new generation of African photographers.

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Macilau started taking pictures in 2003 on the streets of the capital, Maputo. And in 2015 he participated in the 56th Venice Biennale with a startling project about the life of the street children of Maputo, for the Pavilion of the Holy See (Vatican). Through his pictures, Macilau points out to situations of social, economical and ecological situations of injustice; but his images are always about hope, beauty and the resilience of his subjects as it is about a world that fails Men, children, and Nature. His art is rooted in a determination to honour the lives of his subjects without judgement and without pity but with candour and humanity. Macilau has been the recipient of numerous awards most recently The FP Magazine’s Global Thinkers award. He was a finalist in the Unicef Photo of the Year in 2009.

 

His work has featured regularly in numerous solo and group exhibitions, both in his home country and abroad, including The Saatchi Gallery’s Pangaea: New Art from Africa and Latin America, 2014. Vitra Design Museum, Making Africa, 2015 and The Venice Biennale, 2015 and The Guggenheim, Bilbao, 2015-16.

 

His works can be found in the institutional collections of Daimler Art Collection, Berlin/Stuttgart (DE), Foundation PLMJ (Lisbon, PT), the bank Banco Comercial e de Investimentos (MZ), the French Embassy in Maputo (MZ), and the AAF - African Artists’ Foundation (AAF), Lagos (NG), between others. His work can also be found in private collections in Germany, France, Portugal, Spain and the United States of America.