Mario Rizzi

Mario Rizzi (born 1962 in Barletta, Italy) is an Italian artist and filmmaker living in Berlin. His films consider the notions of the border, particularly in relation to issues of identity and belonging, and deal with the life of social outsiders, concentrating on collective memories and individual stories, often forgotten or untold. Since the 2000s, his films and photographs were mainly focused on the Middle East and on the theme of migration.
Rizzi's works were shown in art institutions and film festivals, among them: Berlinische Galerie, Berlin (2022); the 1st Helsinki Biennial (2021); Badischer Kunstverein, Karlsruhe (2016); MAXXI Museum, Rome (2015); MoMA PS1, New York (2014); MAK, Wien and Kunstverein Hannover (2013); Van Abbemuseum, Eindhoven (2008); the 6th Taipei Biennial (2008); Tate Modern, London (2007); the 9th Istanbul Biennial (2005); MART, Rovereto (2004); and the 14th Sydney Biennale (2004). In 2012 Rizzi won the Production Program Award of the Sharjah Art Foundation, in 2005 the Best Artist Prize at the 7th Sharjah Biennial, in 2004 the Mulliqi Prize in Kosovo. His films were selected for the official competition of the Berlin Film Festival (2008 and 2013), for the Ankara International Film Festival (2015 and 2016) and the Dubai International Film Festival in 2013. In 2016 he was a member of the jury at the Duhok 4th International Film Festival in Iraqi Kurdistan and at the 27th Ankara International Film Festival in Turkey. His work is in prestigious public collections, including the Museum of Modern Art in New York, MAXXI Museum in Rome, Sharjah Art Foundation, Van Abbemuseum in Eindhoven, Helsinki Art Museum, Maison Européenne de la Photographie in Paris. In 2021 Angelica Zucconi graduated from Pisa University with the thesis "The trilogy BAYT by Mario Rizzi: analysis of the films and of the language of the artist".