Mario Rizzi

Biography

Mario Rizzi studied classics and psychology before turning his attention to photography at Ecole de la Photographie, Arles, France and the Slade School of Fine Arts, London.

Rizzi’s photographs, films and video installations explore the impact of neo-liberal globalisation on individual lives through intimate, personal narratives. Rizzi collects these stories during extensive stays in the locations where his subjects live. He develops relationships with these ‘unknown’ people and uses their everyday actions to illustrate the pressures of global conditions.

Rizzi’s work has been exhibited at Open Space, Vienna, Austria (2012); National Centre for Contemporary Arts, Saint Petersburg, Russia (2011); SALT Beyoğlu, Istanbul, Turkey (2011); Podbielski Contemporary, Berlin, Germany (2011) and International Istanbul Film Festival, Turkey (2010). His work is part of several collections including that of the Sharjah Art Foundation and the Permanent Collection of The Museum of Modern Art (Fund for the 21st Century, 2010), New York.

In 2005, Rizzi was awarded the Best Artist Prize at Sharjah Biennial 7 for his video installation, Out of Place (2005). In 2004, he received the Muslim Mulliqi Prize, Kosovo. His film Impermanent was selected as part of the official programme for the Berlin International Film Festival in 2008. In 2012, Rizzi was selected as one of three recipients of Sharjah Art Foundation’s Production Programme grant for his project Bayt.