Maria Rita Bolieiro (1996, S.Miguel, Açores) is a visual artist based in Portugal.
With a Master's Degree in Film & Photographic Studies from Leiden University and a completed elective course in photography at the Royal Academy of Art, The Hague (KABK), she works primarily with photography. Her practice also crosses writing, theory and other forms of visual expression.
Her work is deeply influenced by the island where she was born, with nature and the concept of the Sublime being recurring references in her artistic imagination. Her approach follows instinct and careful observation. With a particular fascination for the Absurd and the intersection between body and space, she investigates the unconscious fusion of subjects - human or otherwise - with the landscape.
Her pieces call for prolonged contemplation, proposing a sensory experience that rediscovers the extraordinary in the ordinary. In this sense, she prioritises the materiality of the image to enhance a haptic and visceral visuality.
Through an open and organic creative process, she establishes a continuous dialogue with her surroundings, constructing a photographic narrative that plays with linearity and questions established notions of reality.
CV
Education
Education
2019 | MA in Film & Photographic Studies at Leiden University (graduated Cum Laude).
2017 | BA in Artistic Studies - Comparative Arts & Cultures at University of Lisbon (best GPA of the degree in 2017)
2016 | BA in Arts at Eötvös Loránd University in Budapest, Hungary as part of Erasmus Programme.
2017 | BA in Artistic Studies - Comparative Arts & Cultures at University of Lisbon (best GPA of the degree in 2017)
2016 | BA in Arts at Eötvös Loránd University in Budapest, Hungary as part of Erasmus Programme.
Work Experience
2019 - Present | Freelance Creative & Copywriter.
2023 - 2024 | Communications & Marketing Manager at Aprendizes Active Learning School. Cascais (PT).
2021 - 2023 | Editor at Gracenote. Amsterdam (NL).
2020 - 2021 | Guest Experience & Translation at YOUSEUM. Amsterdam (NL).
2020 | Captions Writing Team at World Press Photo. Amsterdam (NL).
2020 | Social Media Reporter & Photographer at Sonic Acts Festival. Amsterdam (NL). Amsterdam (NL).
2019 - 2021 | Visual Story Curator at MIAP foundation / Photogenie. Amsterdam (NL).
2019 | Social Media Reporter & Photographer at In-Edit Festival NL. Amsterdam (NL).
2019 | On-site staff at Rijksakademie Open Studios. Amsterdam (NL).
2018 | Communication & Audience Development at Lima media art platform. Amsterdam (NL).
2018 | Production & PR at Leiden Short Film Experience (LISFE). Leiden (NL).
2018 | On-site staff at International Documentary Film Festival Amsterdam (IDFA). Amsterdam (NL).
2018 | On-site staff at Unseen Photography Fair. Amsterdam (NL).2015 | Photographer & Content Creator at Accional Marketing Company. Ponta Delgada, Açores (PT).
Exhibitions
2020 | Artist. Group Exhibition, We never say Never, VAGA. Ponta Delgada, Azores (PT).
2019 | Artist & Co-Curator. Group Exhibition. Women of Bauhaus - ACPA Photography 2: Final Exhibition, Wijnhaven (The Hague)
2019 | Artist & Co-Curator. Group Exhibition. Leiden University Open Day, P.J. Veth (Leiden)
2014 | Artist & Co-Curator. Group Exhibition. Through the looking glass: Infusão - Event Chá das Seis at the School of Arts & Humanities of the University of Lisbon.
2023 - 2024 | Communications & Marketing Manager at Aprendizes Active Learning School. Cascais (PT).
2021 - 2023 | Editor at Gracenote. Amsterdam (NL).
2020 - 2021 | Guest Experience & Translation at YOUSEUM. Amsterdam (NL).
2020 | Captions Writing Team at World Press Photo. Amsterdam (NL).
2020 | Social Media Reporter & Photographer at Sonic Acts Festival. Amsterdam (NL). Amsterdam (NL).
2019 - 2021 | Visual Story Curator at MIAP foundation / Photogenie. Amsterdam (NL).
2019 | Social Media Reporter & Photographer at In-Edit Festival NL. Amsterdam (NL).
2019 | On-site staff at Rijksakademie Open Studios. Amsterdam (NL).
2018 | Communication & Audience Development at Lima media art platform. Amsterdam (NL).
2018 | Production & PR at Leiden Short Film Experience (LISFE). Leiden (NL).
2018 | On-site staff at International Documentary Film Festival Amsterdam (IDFA). Amsterdam (NL).
2018 | On-site staff at Unseen Photography Fair. Amsterdam (NL).2015 | Photographer & Content Creator at Accional Marketing Company. Ponta Delgada, Açores (PT).
Exhibitions
2020 | Artist. Group Exhibition, We never say Never, VAGA. Ponta Delgada, Azores (PT).
2019 | Artist & Co-Curator. Group Exhibition. Women of Bauhaus - ACPA Photography 2: Final Exhibition, Wijnhaven (The Hague)
2019 | Artist & Co-Curator. Group Exhibition. Leiden University Open Day, P.J. Veth (Leiden)
2014 | Artist & Co-Curator. Group Exhibition. Through the looking glass: Infusão - Event Chá das Seis at the School of Arts & Humanities of the University of Lisbon.
Publications
Bolieiro, Maria Rita and Griffin, Robin. After 18. 2018. Milton Keys: Lightning Source (UK) Ltd.
Bolieiro, Maria Rita. An Anachronistic Society: on the use of the analog during the digital age. 2019. (Master Thesis).
Bolieiro, Maria Rita and Griffin, Robin. After 18. 2018. Milton Keys: Lightning Source (UK) Ltd.
Bolieiro, Maria Rita. An Anachronistic Society: on the use of the analog during the digital age. 2019. (Master Thesis).