Mario Algaze

La Sombra del Ciclista, Bogota, Colombia

2002

Mario Algaze is a contemporary Cuban-American photographer whose work articulates the counterculture of Latin America, the Caribbean and Cuba. In 1960, at only 13 years old, Algaze was exiled from Cuba. He relocated to America and settled in Miami, Florida. Miami offered a rich cultural mecca that encouraged Algaze to travel throughout Central and South America. These trips allowed him a glimpse of belonging within a familiar culture. In finding his identity after exile, he began photographing Latin America in the 1970s while reconnecting with the feeling of home. His photographs embody the everyday of Latin life. Between his travels in the late 1970s, Algaze studied visual art at Miami Dade College. Algaze’s masterful command of light illuminates his street scenes that detail the struggles and victories of Latin culture. The vision Algaze has made him an award-winning photographer — in 1985, he was the recipient of the Individual Florida Artist Fellowship and in 1989 received the Cintas Foundation Fellowship in Visual Arts. A retrospective collection of his work from 1974–2008 is showcased in his book A Respect for Light: The Latin American Photographs. The book is a window into the discovery and growth of Latin culture. Algaze's documentary work is highly sought after by institutions and collectors worldwide. Permanent collections of his work can be found at every corner of the world, including the Museum of Fine Arts in Houston, Museo Tamayo in Mexico City, the Santa Barbara Museum of Art in California, Duke University in North Carolina, the Victoria and Albert Museum in London and DePaul University in Chicago. (Biography provided by PDNB Gallery)