Biography/CV
Rizwan Mirza studied photography under the influential British landscape artist John Blakemore at Derby University (Blakemore along with Thomas-Joshua Cooper and Fay Godwin became part of a Midlands based British landscape artist movement). After graduating Rizwan moved to London and began working with several editorial/commercial agencies. Apart from being an artist, he has also worked as a teacher/educator, film-maker and continues to freelance as a picture editor with various media groups.
He edited and produced Poetry Seen, an editioned photography-poetry book containing portraits of twenty five contemporary Liverpool poets (pub. London). In 2005, he completed a MA Documentary Film at Goldsmiths College, London. He was recently commissioned to write, direct and produce Musaffir, a short film which has been touring international venues for the last two years.
He has exhibited extensively within the UK and abroad. His work can be found in a number of public and private collections and is represented by Bonni Benrubi Gallery, New York.
CV
Education:
2003 – 2004
>MA Documentary Film, Goldsmiths College, University of London
1998
>Screenwriting, Birkbeck College
1990 –1993
>BA Photography, Derby University
Awards:
2009
>AOA Award/Commission, Autograph ABP, London (shortlist)
2008
>A-Frame Creative Entrepreneurship Programme, ICA, London
>360 Degrees, invitation to sixty international artists to produce sixty second films on the Asian diaspora. Commissioned by Moti Roti, London, supported by The British Council and The Arts Council of England
>Link-d-Up artists programme, ICA, London
2007
>Pilsner-Urquell Deeper Perspectives, IPA Award (shortlist)
>Prix de la Photographie Award (PX3), Paris and Public Choice Award
>Breakout artist-directors development programme, supported by BritDoc, Channel 4 British Documentary Film Foundation
>Critical Mass Review, Photo-Lucida, Portland, USA
2006
>South London Artists Partnership, The Arts Council of England
2004
>Digital Shorts Award Scheme. Film Council (shortlist)
2003
>AHRB Scholarship
Selected Exhibitions:
2009
>Discoveries International II, Houston, Texas, USA. Selected and curated by Houston FotoFest Biennale
>Faces of Poetry: Contemporary Photographs, National Portrait Gallery, London
2008
>Museum of Fine Arts, Houston (MFAH), Texas, USA. Curated by Anne Wilkes-Tucker
>Musaffir (16mm film), to be shown as part of a touring exhibition in Great Britain, Pakistan and India until 2011
2007
>Descrubimientos, PhotoEspana festival, Madrid, Spain
2004
>Southport Arts Centre, Sefton Arts Festival, Southport
>The Old Factory, Ledbury Poetry Festival, Ledbury
2003
>Fotographie Forum International, Frankfurt, Germany
Curated by Celina Lunsford
2002
>Poetry Seen, book launch, AoP gallery, London
Fotographie Forum International, Frankfurt, Germany
>Kemble Gallery, Hereford Photography Festival, Hereford
2001
>Folly Gallery, Lancaster Literature Festival, Lancaster
>Mezzanine Gallery, Curzon-Soho, London
>Unity Theatre, Liverpool
1996
>Alasdair Gilchrist-Fisher Memorial Award, Cadogan Gallery, London
1993
>Picture Freedom print exhibition/auction, The Photographers Gallery, London
Selected reviews/publications:
>Published Poetry Seen, a limited edition book, supported by The Arts Council, Smurfit Townsend and Independent Paper Mills (Sweden), 2004
>Px3 Prix de la Photographie catalogue, Paris, May 2007
>Critical Mass 100 portfolios (DVD), Feb 2007
>Graphics International Magazine, Issue 91, 2002, Profiles, p46-47
Collections/representation:
>Work held in public and private collections including: The Trump Foundation (New York, New York), The Museum of Fine Art (Houston, Texas) and The National Portrait Gallery (London).
>Represented by Bonni Benrubi Gallery, New York