Mário MACILAU

Born in 1984 at Maputo (Mozambique)

Mario Macilau is a photographer who lives and works in Maputo.  His work treats mainly political, social and cultural issues, connected with the evolutions of man.  Belonging to the category of documentary photography, his images aim to capture the state of his immediate environment and the changes affecting his native country.  More generally, he deals with current issues defining a place, a culture and a period.  Through his studies, which associated sociology and photography, he has, not surprisingly, focused on portrait photography.  He has regularly exhibited at national and international events (Bamako Biennale of Photography, ‘Rencontres’ at Arles, France)

I AM HERE

photography and poems

Macilau’s exhibit, associating poetry and photography, reflects the artist’s experience during his residency here. Mário Macilau explores his own feelings of surprise and in this way expresses the spirit and the soul of the island. On the one hand, poetry is for him a form of expression which releases you from suffering, oppression and repression, while bringing out love, joy and the pleasure of the other person.  On the other hand, the photographic portraits of his fellow-artists lead us to question the notion of identity. The introduction of biometric portraits and electronic standardisation leave little room for ambiguity as regards the identity of the passport holder, but this representation, which is in keeping with the globalised necessity of identification, contrasts with the personal experiences of the subject represented.