Marisa Portolese - Biography

Biographical Information

Marisa Portolese’s work often explores the relationship between the fixed photographic portrait, her subject’s identities and narrative desire. Her explorations in contemporary portraiture concentrate on elucidating facets of human experiences in relation to psychological and physical environments, relating to larger themes concerning identity and spectatorship.

Upon graduating with an MFA degree from Concordia University in 2001, she has produced many photographic projects which have received critical acclaim, namely Belle de Jour (2002), The Recognitions (2004-05), Breathless (2007), The Dandy Collection (2005-ongoing), Dream Weavers (2009), Imagined Paradise (2010) and Antonia’s Garden (2010). She has exhibited widely in Canada, Europe and the United States, notably in cities such as Berlin, New York City, Seattle, San Francisco, Montreal, Québec City, Toronto, Palermo and Bologna, Italy. In 2007, she was invited to participate in the prestigious international biennale of contemporary photography: Le Mois de la Photo à Montréal. She has also curated several exhibitions and helped organize the McGill street project entitled ‘Inspirations’, a McCord Museum initiative. She is currently working on a documentary film on Italian immigration in Montreal, a monograph publication, as well as a photographic and video project on the complex nature of family and the relationship between mother and child, focusing on issues relating to abandonment and displacement.

Alongside her exhibition record, critics have written about her work in publications such as Canadian Art, Border Crossings, Ciel Variable magazine, ETC Montreal, as well as other journals, magazines, newspapers and art books. In addition, Dazibao publications published a book of her photographs. She is the recipient of several awards and numerous grants from the Canada and Québec Arts Councils, as well as the DuMaurier Arts Foundation. Her work is part of private and public collections.

	biography
Biographical Information Marisa Portolese’s work often explores the relationship between the fixed photographic portrait, her subject’s identities and narrative desire. Her explorations in contemporary portraiture concentrate on elucidating facets of human experiences in relation to psychological and physical environments, relating to larger themes concerning identity and spectatorship. Upon graduating with an MFA degree from Concordia University in 2001, she has produced many photographic projects which have received critical acclaim, namely Belle de Jour (2002), The Recognitions (2004-05), Breathless (2007), The Dandy Collection (2005-ongoing), Dream Weavers (2009), Imagined Paradise (2010) and Antonia’s Garden (2010). She has exhibited widely in Canada, Europe and the United States, notably in cities such as Berlin, New York City, Seattle, San Francisco, Montreal, Québec City, Toronto, Palermo and Bologna, Italy. In 2007, she was invited to participate in the prestigious international biennale of contemporary photography: Le Mois de la Photo à Montréal. She has also curated several exhibitions and helped organize the McGill street project entitled ‘Inspirations’, a McCord Museum initiative. She is currently working on a documentary film on Italian immigration in Montreal, a monograph publication, as well as a photographic and video project on the complex nature of family and the relationship between mother and child, focusing on issues relating to abandonment and displacement. Alongside her exhibition record, critics have written about her work in publications such as Canadian Art, Border Crossings, Ciel Variable magazine, ETC Montreal, as well as other journals, magazines, newspapers and art books. In addition, Dazibao publications published a book of her photographs. She is the recipient of several awards and numerous grants from the Canada and Québec Arts Councils, as well as the DuMaurier Arts Foundation. Her work is part of private and public collections.