Mauro Restiffe

São Paulo, Brazil, 1970 

          Born in São Paulo, Brazil, in 1970, Mauro Restiffe graduated from the School of Communication of the Armando Alzares Penteado Foundation with a degree in Cinema. However, since he was very young his path was already marked by photography, for which he received multiple awards and recognitions at a very early age. His perspective always goes off on a tangent and seeks to portray, from an unexpected angle, that which does not seem out of the ordinary. Used to interdisciplinary influences, Restiffe travels the world inspired by modern architecture, cinema and history.

           Since his beginnings, he has been working with an analog camera, taking black and white photographs without any kind of retouching: he leaves the raw shot in full dialogue with his viewers. The result is an image with a grainy effect, which is accentuated by the type of paper he chooses for developing. The details seem to blend into flat light scenes, but they do not; they are mute witnesses to which the eye is drawn back by intrigue and bewilderment.

           Temporality is an important element in Restiffe's works, perhaps a quality derived from his film studies, as the artist seeks to record suspended scenes where past and future can be sensed. This characteristic is accentuated by the historical component of his work, as in the series Empossamento (2003), in which he records the inauguration of former president Lula da Silva in the occupation of Brasilia. Restiffe leaves aside the portrait of the president and focuses on the act and the spectators' point of view. His shots manage to capture the immensity of the political event from the angle of the audience, without any kind of tourist approach. The images open up on the details of those who surround him and who are indirectly observed.

           The subtle traits of each scene suggest a narrative line that is left to the viewer's imagination. Through his work, Restiffe creates historical records in which he does not prioritize the protagonists but rather the relationship of people and time with their surroundings. In this way, he oscillates with ease between the journalistic and the intimate gaze, even combining them.