The Art of Marco Riha

ON A QUEST FOR THE BEST

Born on the 17th of April 1970 in Vienna, Austria, Marco Riha started his long creative journey in Sri Lanka in the mid-nineties. After painting and travelling for some years, he found  his creative home base in Mexico. 

André Breton describes Surrealism as ‘psychic automatism in its pure state.’ For decades Riha has been experimenting with this automatic painting technique, unaware of being a modern-day surrealist. One of Riha’s inspirations was a Québécois artistic dissidents movement called 'Les Automatistes'. Their 'total refusal', unacademic approach to art encouraged the autodidact artist to continue with his unique explorations.

Experimentations with all types of mediums include a long fascination with oils on canvas - a  symbolic period  filled with therapeutic releases, inner and outer travel logs and first screams in color.  The 'colorDrops' series from 2014 mark the beginning of Riha’s abstract works. This current period includes socio-political pieces about liberty, tolerance, ecocide, division and unity.

Marco Riha has been published in various art magazines worldwide and his work has been shown internationally, like the Saatchi and FOLD Gallery in London, the Fondazione Palmieri in Lecce or most recently at the Rome Art Week '23.

EXHIBITIONS

2023/10   Rome Art Week by Rossocinabro Gallery, Roma. IT

2023/05  TRACCE   DEL TEMPO by Primopiano LivinGallery, Lecce, IT

2021/11   Dubai Art Expo, UAE

2021/10   Tokyo International Art Fair, Roppongi,   JP

2021/09   Fold Gallery, “colour of emotion” London,   UK

2021/08   Saatchi Gallery, “colour of life”,   London, UK

2021/06   Atelier Richelieu, “share your identity”,   Paris, FR

2019           Artboxprojects Miami, US

2019          Jardín Botánico, “artistas por la paz”,   Puerto Morelos, MX

2018           Olympus Tours Gallery, collective expo   “alas” Cancun, MX

2017           Artboxprojects Basel, CH

2015           Las Galerías, “exposición de arte”, Puerto   Morelos, MX

2013           Hotel Asiana, „behind the surface“, Dubai,   UAE

2011           Galerie am Schillerplatz, “wanderjahre”,   Wien, AT

PUBLICATIONS & AWARDS

2023/06 Insights of an Eco Artist,  Lisbon, PT

2023/06 Art Radar by New & Abstract, Berlin,   DE

2023/01 Smart Artist Hub, London, UK

2022  ARTMAGAZINEUM, Istanbul, TR, Cover Issue07

2021  Artist of the Month, ARTJOBS.COM

2021  Winner of Special Prize, Mellow Art Award,   Japan

2021  ArteVisualMexico, MX, Issue 01 & 04

2020  Arthabens Contemporary Art Review, London,   UK, Issue09

2020  AlTiba9 Contemporary Art, Algiers, DZ, Issue04   

2019  WOTISART? London, UK, Issue12

2018   La Verdad   Noticias, Cancun, MX, Issue01