Mário Macilau started his journey as photographer in 2003, turning professional in 2007. His works balances between conceptual and documentary photography, specialising in long term projects that focus on marginalised people and places. In his work he deals with contemporary socio-political and cultural issues, post conflict environments and urban and rural areas, particularly within the African continent. In his works he creates a relation between people and time and space. Macilau’s practice can be seen as a social intervention “blending candid lucidity with forlorn solemnity, bringing glints of human warmth to otherwise desolate vistas.” (Lara Bourdin, ZAMMagazine, 2013). His work has been recognized with awards and has been exhibited widely in his home country and abroad. Macilau was also one of the six artists presented in Aljazeera’s The New African Photography documentary series click here.
During his residency, in collaboration with Galerie 23 | Contemporary art from Africa & the African Diaspora, Macilau worked on his project Nothing To Declare investigating the schism between official (passport) portraiture of the citizen with the personal image of the individual. Next to this he was a special guest of the first ZAM News Room.
