About Mario
Mario is an international artist linked to surrealism and absurdism. Born and raised in post-communist Albania, Mario gives life to his colorful imagination through abstract forms and relationships.
His early work includes impressions of a changing Albanian society after the fall of communism. His later work, which defies a single genre or era, offers a critical lens through which the viewer can discover the birth of a free man and a free society. Mario’s latest work explores new forms and versatile qualities that extend the boundaries of traditional art making.
Trained at the Jordan Misja Artistic Lyceum and University of Arts in Tirana, Mario has experimented with rapidograph, acrylic, and oil. While at the University of Arts, he also received a degree in scenography and fashion design with a focus on costumes for plays. He has exhibited his work in major artistic hubs in Greece, Albania, Italy, France, and most recently in the USA.
Mario takes customs requests and works on commissioned pieces. For a complete list of his former commissioned work, please contact by email.
Artist Statement
My artwork takes a deconstructive approach of ubiquitous objects and people. Often stemming from wherever I am located in the world, my work explores the varying encounters of everyday life with absurd elements often finding themselves at the focus of the canvas. I attempt to bring the pieces around me into life using a variety of materials to discover new identities. I have found the histories of surrealism and neo-cubism to be detrimental in organizing contrasting subjects that work in harmony. My work is purely instinctual and the ideas behind the work surpass the physical, visual representations of our existence. The arrangements are schematic, inviting the viewer to discover elements of familiarity from their own lives and experiences.