Mário Macilau was born in 1984 in Maputo, where he currently lives and works. In newly independent Mozambique, during the most critical phase of the civil war, his family struggled with financial difficulties and moved from the province of Inhambane to Maputo capital in search of a better life. At the age of ten, he began to work in a small market frequented by the middle and upper classes, helping to carry the groceries and washing cars at the park in an effort to support his family. Macilau started his journey as photographer in 2003 and went professional when he traded his mother's cell phone for his first camera in 2007. He specialises in long term projects that focus on living and environmental conditions that effect socially isolated groups over time.
Macilau’s work has been recognised with awards and featured regularly in numerous solo and group exhibitions both in his home country and abroad including The Pan African group exhibition during the Biennale of African Photography in Bamako in 2011, the KLM in Kuala Lumpur in 2012, The Johannesburg Art Fair, Les Recontres Picha in Lubumbashi and The Biennale Arts Actuels in Saint Dinis, Reunion Island in 2013 as well as the 2013 African Art Auction in London, amongst others. He has also completed a number of artistic residencies.
