Mario Algaze was born in Havana, Cuba in 1947. Algaze migrated from Cuba to Miami in 1960. In 1971, at the age of 24, Algaze began his photographic career as a self-taught photographer. Shortly thereafter, Algaze chose Latin America as the subject matter of his art. Photographing the world within these countries he offers a creative way to deal with his exile and Latin American roots.
Read MoreFor a 50-year-old photographer, this process of refinement has been as natural as breathing--or laughing. Algaze insists he’s never followed in anyone’s footsteps. “I wanted to be a photographer,” he says, “without any influence whatsoever.” The son of lawyers who also left Cuba for Miami in 1960, he wasn’t exactly encouraged in his choice of profession, but “choice” probably isn’t the word Algaze would use. “There was a need. I think it’s born; I think it’s innate in all of us with talent.”
Mario Algaze depicts Latin American cities where cultural traditions of the past blend with modern customs of the present. With his calculating eye he creates images imbued with a mysterious sense of space and time. Set in a slow-paced reality, his photographs offer a glimpse into the lives of people and places of these countries.
In 1979 Algaze became owner and Director of Gallery Exposures in Coral Gables. Then, in 1981, he decided to dedicate himself full time to being a photographer and thus enabling him to travel more freely. Since then his work has been exhibited in various Museums through out the United States, Latin America and Europe. His most recent exhibition at Throckmorton Fine Art was CUBA: 1999 - 2000 held in the spring of 2001.
Mario Algaze is represented in New York by Throckmorton Fine Art and currently resides in Miami, FL. although due to his unceasing travels his real home may be called Latin America. He continues to work during his sojourns where his love for life and high Latin spirits combined with his unique vision and his subtle search for timeless moments create his serene images of Latin American culture.
Text courtesy Throckmorton Fine Art.
