Works

Artist & Filmmaker · born in Barletta, Italy · Based in Berlin & Rome

Mario Rizzi works in film and multi-screen video installation, employing long-term research that bridges documentary and constructed narrative. His practice is built on deep immersion within communities shaped by displacement, exclusion, and human rights violations. Resisting conventional documentary forms, his films build meaning directly from his relationships with those portrayed. Through documents, testimonies, and oral narratives, he constructs a counter-archive that makes visible what official records often exclude. His work operates as a precise mediation of lives marked by borders and uprooting, concentrating on the collective memories and individual stories of people caught between places, cultures, and value systems.

His work has been shown at Tate Modern, Van Abbemuseum, MoMA PS1, MAXXI, and major biennials including Sydney, Istanbul, Taipei, and Helsinki, as well as the Berlin Film Festival Competition (2008, 2013). His work is held in collections including MoMA and the Sharjah Art Foundation. He is the recipient of the Best Artist Award at the Sharjah Biennial (2005), the Italian Council Award (2019), and the Ebru Timtik Award (2025). Fluent in English and French; intermediate Spanish.

www.mariorizzi.com mariorizzi@gmail.com +49 172 8814001 · +39 327 9484830

Coimbra photo

Mario Rizzi — Artist & Filmmaker CV

Selected Awards —

2025
Ebru Timtik Award — Selected Artist Université Libre de Bruxelles, Belgium
2022
Premio Gallarate, XXVI Edizione MAGA Museo d'Arte Gallarate, Italy
2018
Italian Council Award Italian Ministry of Culture & Centro per l'Arte Contemporanea Pecci, Italy
2012
Production Program Award Sharjah Art Foundation, Sharjah, United Arab Emirates
2005
Best Artist Prize — 7th Sharjah Biennial Sharjah Art Foundation, Sharjah, United Arab Emirates
2004
The Mulliqi Best Artist Prize Kosova Art Gallery, Pristina, Kosovo/UNMIK

Solo Exhibitions —

2026
La Sedia Vuota Ospedale Santi Cosma e Damiano, Pescia, Italy Permanent installation
2022
Exercices d'empathie Analix Forever, Geneva, Switzerland
2022
Mario Rizzi. A traveler with a camera MAXXI Museo Nazionale Arti del XXI Secolo, Rome, Italy
2022
Film Trilogy Bayt Berlinische Galerie, Berlin, Germany
2019
بيت Bayt Centro per l'Arte Contemporanea Luigi Pecci, Prato, Italy
2019
My Dear Lamis Dar El-Nimer for Arts and Culture, Beirut, Lebanon
2017
Bare Lives Galerie Wedding, Berlin, Germany
2015
L'Attesa Galleria Studio Stefania Miscetti, Rome, Italy
2013
Karagöz Galleria Gagliardi, Turin, Italy
2013
The Waiting Villa Romana, Florence, Italy
2011
Partial Truths Podbielski Contemporary, Berlin, Germany
2010
La vie est à nous Analix Forever, Geneva, Switzerland
2008
Murat ve Ismail Kerava Art Museum, Kerava, Finland
2004
The Sofa of Jung MART Museo Arte Contemporanea di Trento e Rovereto, Italy
2002
Drafting Moods Diana Stigter Galerie, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
2001
Seven Finnish Identities Helsinki Art Museum, Helsinki, Finland

Group Exhibitions and Main Film Festivals —

2025
The Library of Palimpsests Sankt Studio, Berlin, Germany
2024
Luce sulla Città Piazza Tasso, Florence, Italy
2024
Unhealed Moderna Museet, Malmö, Sweden
2024
an ecology of images Analix Forever, Geneva, Switzerland
2024
In the eyes of our present, we hear Palestine Sheikh Khalid Bin Mohammed Arts Palace, Al Dhaid, Sharjah, United Arab Emirates
2023
Fuori Tutto MAXXI Museo Nazionale Arti del XXI Secolo, Rome, Italy
2023
Ce que la Palestine apporte au monde Institut du Monde Arabe, Paris, France
2023
6th Berlin Herbstsalon — GEZI TEN YEARS AFTER Gorki Theater, Berlin, Germany
2023
Palestinian Nakba 75 P21 Gallery, London, UK
2023
Raimbow Analix Forever, Geneva, Switzerland
2022
Sunbird Documentary Film Award Competition — 9th Palestine Cinema Days Ramallah, Palestine
2022
14th Manifesta Centre of Narrative Practice Screening Space, Prishtina, Kosovo
2022
Screens. Culture dello schermo e immagini in movimento MAGA Museo d'Arte Gallarate, Italy
2022
8th Festival Ciné-Palestine Paris, France
2022
Reinvention and Restlessness: Fashion in the Nineties The Museum at Fashion Institute of Technology, New York, USA
2021
39th EVA International – Ireland's Biennial of Contemporary Art City Gallery of Art, Limerick, Ireland
2021
1st Helsinki Biennial Helsinki Art Museum & Vallisaari Island, Helsinki, Finland
2021
Blocks Real Albergo delle Povere - Museo d'Arte Moderna e Contemporanea, Palermo, Italy
2021
Babies are knocking Galleria Studio Stefania Miscetti, Rome, Italy
2021
30 + 30 ... IS THE NEW PUNK Analix Forever, Geneva, Switzerland
2020
Art is always public Villa Romana, Florence, Italy
2019
Territorium: Tijuana Instituto Municipal de Arte y Cultura, Tijuana, Mexico
2019
Moving Women Magda Danysz Galerie, Paris, France
2018
VAM Festival 2018 BABYLON Film Theatre, Berlin, Germany
2018
Tokyo Metropolitan Foundation for History and Culture Residents 2017–2018 Tokyo Arts and Space, Tokyo, Japan
2017
Beautiful Distress Nieuw Dakota, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
2017
#resist Goethe Gallery, Hong Kong, China
2017
The Absence of Paths Tunisian Pavilion at the 57th Venice Biennale, Italy
2017
The Absence of Paths Tunisian Pavilion at the 57th Venice Biennale, Italy
2017
Artapes #1. Walking Around the Clock MAXXI Museo Nazionale Arti XXI Secolo, Rome, Italy
2017
#resist Goethe Gallery, Hong Kong, China
2016
When Home Won't Let You Stay Univ. Applied Arts, Vienna, Austria
2016
We Refugees – Of the Right to Have Rights Badischer Kunstverein, Karlsruhe, Germany
2015
Istanbul. Passion, Joy, Fury MAXXI Museo Nazionale Arti del XXI Secolo, Rome, Italy
2015
Too Early Too Late Pinacoteca Nazionale, Bologna, Italy
2014
Open Museum Open City MAXXI Museo Nazionale Arti del XXI Secolo, Rome, Italy
2014
Where are the Arabs? VW Dome, MoMA PS1, New York, USA
2013
63rd Berlinale Shorts Official Competition Berlinale, Berlin, Germany
2013
Signs Taken in Wonder MAK Wien + Kunstverein Hannover
2012
In Spite of it All Sharjah Art Foundation, UAE
2012
Parco Nomade Padiglione Italia, 13th Architecture Biennale, Venice, Italy
2008
6th Taipei Biennial Taipei Fine Arts Museum, Taiwan
2008
Be(com)ing Dutch Van Abbemuseum, Eindhoven, The Netherlands
2008
58th Berlinale Shorts Official Competition Berlinale, Berlin, Germany
2007
This Day Tate Modern, London, UK
2007
4th Göteborg International Biennial Röda Sten, Göteborg, Sweden
2005
9th Istanbul Biennial Antrepo Warehouse no. 5, Istanbul, Turkey
2005
7th Sharjah Biennial Sharjah Art Foundation, UAE
2004
14th Sydney Biennale Museum of Contemporary Art, Sydney, Australia
2003
1st Prague Biennial National Gallery, Prague, Czech Republic
2002
Exit Fondazione Sandretto Re Rebaudengo, Turin, Italy
2001
The Gift Palazzo delle Papesse, Siena, Italy

Film Screenings —

2025
Kauther International Fair Trial Day, Bruxelles, Belgium
2023
The Little Lantern Al Ma'mal Foundation, Jerusalem, Palestine
2023
Anni, Kauther, Ekhlas Fondazione Fulvio Croce, Turin, Italy
2017
Videoart at Midnight #88 BABYLON Film Theatre, Berlin, Germany
2014
Al Intithar SALT Beyoğlu, Istanbul, Turkey
2013
L'attente Palais des Arts, Marseille, France
2007
Modern Mondays: Mario Rizzi Museum of Modern Art, New York, USA

Curated Exhibitions —

2025
OLTRE Academy of Fine Arts of Rome, Aula Colleoni With brochure
2004
PLUG IN Futura Gallery, Prague, Czech Republic With catalogue

Art Collections —

MoMA – Museum of Modern Art, New York MAXXI Museo Nazionale Arti del XXI Secolo, Rome Centro per l'Arte Contemporanea Pecci, Prato Helsinki Art Museum, Helsinki Sharjah Art Foundation, UAE Van Abbemuseum, Eindhoven Maison Européenne de la Photographie, Paris Musée Réattu, Arles Musée de l'Elysée, Lausanne

Academic —

Appointments

2025
"Il viaggio come percorso artistico e introspettivo" Academy of Fine Arts of Rome, Italy — Department of Contemporary Art History, Spring Semester
2012
Course on Contemporary Art Chung Hwa International Art School, Muar, Malaysia — Spring Semester

Theses Focusing on My Artwork

2021
Angelica Zucconi, "The trilogy BAYT by Mario Rizzi: analysis of the films and of the language of the artist" B.A. Thesis, University of Pisa, Italy
2005
Elena Keidan, "Mario Rizzi e l'estetica relazionale" B.A. Thesis, Brera Academy of Fine Art, Milan, Italy

Residencies & Honors —

2019
Structures of Displacement — Symposium and Screenings University of Applied Arts, Vienna, Austria
2017
Tokyo Arts and Space Residency Program Tokyo Arts and Space, Tokyo, Japan
2016
Jury Member — 4th Duhok International Film Festival Duhok, Iraqi Kurdistan
2016
Jury Member — 27th Ankara International Film Festival Ankara, Turkey
2015
Artist Residency Fondazione Jorio Vivarelli, Pistoia, Italy
2011
National Center for Contemporary Arts — Studio Program Saint Petersburg, Russia
2010
The Fund for the 21st Century — Permanent Collection MoMA, New York, USA
2006
Al Ma'mal Foundation — Studio Program Al Ma'mal Foundation, Jerusalem, Palestine
2005
Cité Internationale des Arts — Studio Program Cité Internationale des Arts, Paris, France
2002
Amsterdams Fonds voor de Kunst — Artist Residency Amsterdam, The Netherlands
2001
Internationales Atelierprogramm Künstlerhaus Bethanien, Berlin, Germany

Selected Bibliography —

Emanuele Cutsodontis, L'ospedale a misura di paziente. La Nazione, 12.04.2026

Manuela De Leonardis, Viaggi straordinari. Mario Rizzi in Giappone. exibart, 5.08.2024

Neema Vitali, «une écologie des images» au cœur de l'Histoire. Art Critique, 3.04.2024

Luisa Franzini, "Stories make us": Raccontare la Palestina. In: "Deportate, Esuli, Profughe", Università Ca' Foscari Venice, September 2024

Yasmin Khan, 75 Years After the Palestinian Nakba. HYPERALLERGIC, 15.05.2023

Elena Bordignon, FOCUS sulla mostra Screens. ATP DIARY, 21.09.2022

Jean-Paul Gavard-Perret, Mario Rizzi le féministe. Les Blogs – De l'art helvétique contemporain, 20.09.2022

Chiara Bontacchio, Con le mie opere cerco di dare voce alla marginalità. Berlino Magazine, Jan–Feb 2022

Hanno Rehlinger, Die Andere. Der Tagesspiegel, 9.01.2022

Hamid Dabashi, Anni Kanafani Lives Here. In: "BAYT", NERO Editions, 2022, pp 56–62

Stephanie Bailey, Portraits Of Bayt. In: "BAYT", NERO Editions, 2022, pp 74–81

Isin Önol, Conditions Of Objection. In: "BAYT", NERO Editions, 2022, pp 102–109

Simone Frangi, (Un)Certain Assessment. In: "BAYT", NERO Editions, 2022, pp 116–121

Sabrina Vedovotto, Racconti da lontano. Telescope – Quidmagazine, 15.03.2020

Manuela De Leonardis, Fiabe a Burj el Barajneh. Alias – Il Manifesto, 13.4.2019

Jonas Tinius, The privilege of life itself. In: "Bare Lives", Archive Books, 2017, pp 68–75

Hamid Dabashi, Sacred Souls, Bare Lives. In: "Bare Lives", Archive Books, 2017, pp 5–11

Cristiana Perrella, The Outsider. Ibraaz.org, 30.6.2016

Sabine Weier, Migrant Identities After the Global Crisis. Camera Austria, #134/2016, pp 84–85

Ida Panicelli, Mario Rizzi at Studio Stefania Miscetti. Critics' Picks. Artforum.com, December 2015

Cristiana Perrella, La Primavera araba in un film. Artribune.com, 9.12.2015

Tilman Spreckelsen. Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung, 16.11.2015

Dorothea Schoene, A State of Exception. Ibraaz.org, 8.5.2013

Igal Avidan, Das lange Warten auf den Frieden. Zeit.de, 11.2.2013

Simon Rees, 6th Taipei Biennial. Frieze, #120, pp 147–148

Dmitry Golynko, The Ethics of Human Biographies. Arterritory.com, January 2012

Sabine Vogel, International Istanbul Biennial. Critics' Picks. Artforum.com, October 2005

Isabel Carlos, Beyond Self-Expression. In: "Mario Rizzi 96_04", Skira, 2004, pp 25–32

Lilly Wei, South by Southeast. Art in America, #11, pp 58–65

Christian Rattemeyer, Biennale of Sydney. Artforum, Vol. 43, #3, pp 238–239

Bruno Latour, Résidents. Editions du Panama, 2007, pp 192–195

Charles Esche, Murat ve Ismail. In: "9th International Istanbul Biennial", Istanbul Foundation for Culture and Arts, 2005, pp 141–144

Katerina Gregos, Mario Rizzi. Contemporary, #86, pp 54–55

Michele Robecchi, Mario Rizzi. Flash Art Italy, Vol. XXXIX, #255, pp 68–71