Mario Macilau
Untitled #3, from the Price of Cement series
About the SessionNAIROBI – Following their successful collaboration in 2025, Strauss & Co, Africa’s leading auction house, and Danda Jaroljmek, Director of Art Auction East Africa, will present Art Auction East Africa | Strauss & Co, a 67-lot sale bringing together modern and contemporary art from East Africa and the wider continent. The live-virtual sale will be held at Circle Art Gallery in Nairobi on Wednesday, 28 October, 2026, 7pm EAT. The catalogue spans a diversity of East African countries, including Kenya, Tanzania, Ethiopia, Sudan and Uganda, alongside works by artists from Angola, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Mozambique and Nigeria. Works on paper, photography and sculpture complements the strong painting consignment. “The selection invites collectors to discover East Africa’s diverse modernist histories, particularly those beyond the Anglophone world,” says Susie Goodman. “In recent years, there has been a resurgence of interest in East African modernists, with artists associated with the Khartoum School shown in museums and fairs globally. Our work as an auction house rooted in Africa is ensuring this rediscovery is not temporary. We are delighted to partner with Danda Jaroljmek in cultivating a sustainable secondary market for East African modernists active during the era of decolonisation and independence.” A preview exhibition will be held at Circle Art Gallery, Victoria Square, Riara Road, Nairobi, during the two weeks preceding the auction on Wednesday, 28 October 2026.
LOT 29
Mario Macilau
Untitled #3, from the Price of Cement series
About this Item
Provenance
Private Collection
Notes
Mário Macilau is a Mozambican multidisciplinary artist based in Maputo and is best known for his photography. Macilau took up photography as a teenager and eventually swapped his mother’s cell phone for a Nikon camera in 2007, which launched his career as a professional photographer.
In his signature monochromatic tones, Macilau’s photographs explore identity politics, inequality, migration and environmental issues. He primarily works on long-term projects and often captures portraits which offer an intimate look into the themes he investigates.
Mário Macilau’s notable group and solo exhibitions include: A World in Common: Contemporary African Photography, Tate Modern, London (2023); Unseen, Amsterdam (2018); Songs of the Present, Musée de la Photographie de Saint Louis, Senegal (2018); Speaking… and there is still no one to hear me, Dubai (2018) and Afrique Capitales, La Villette, Paris (2017). Macilau was also one of three artists included in the Pavilion of the Holy See at the 56th Venice Biennale in 2015.
Harvard University and the Boston Global Forum (BGF) selected Macilau as the 2016-2017 Michael Dukakis Leadership Fellow. He has also been awarded the European Union Award for Environment (2015), the UNESCO-Aschberg Bursary for Visual Arts (2014), and the Africa Centre’s Fountainhead Residency Award (2014).
Over and above his artistic career, Macilau is a dedicated activist who advocates for children’s rights and access to education. With a focus on collaborative educational projects, Macilau works with the outreach organisation Walking Together (WT), which aims to empower individuals through social outreach, health, and education initiatives.
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