'I use photography to change people’s minds about the world we’re living in.' —Mário Macilau
Mário Macilau (b. 1984) started his journey as a self-taught photographer by trading in his mother’s mobile phone to buy his first camera and taking images of the markets and streets in his hometown of Maputo in Mozambique. Photographing primarily in black and white, Macilau focuses on the resilience of socially and economically marginalised communities. This enigmatic portrait of two child labourers playing on Maputo Bay, near a marine fishery, is from his Faith series, which explores the practice of animism (a belief that spirits live in creatures, objects and places) in contemporary Mozambique. Combining documentary with poetic narratives, this photograph embodies his interest in ‘the relationship between traditional religious practices and the natural environment.’ Macilau’s work has been exhibited internationally, notably at the 56th Venice Biennale, and is held in a number of private and public collections, including the Centre Pompidou, Paris.
