Based in

Marianne Catzaras was born in Tunisia, and more specifically in Djerba, also known as the lotus eaters island. She is a Tunisian-Greek visual artist, photographer, poet, and writer.

After studying literature at the Sorbonne she dedicated herself to photography. Her early work includes portraits of minorities, such as the Black communities of Djerba, accompanied by texts from poet Edouard Glissant, and the Roma people in Greece. Catzaras's art often delves into themes of identity, exile, and memory in the mediterranean world, transfiguring reality through her unique perspective.

Catzaras has exhibited extensively both in Tunisia and internationally, with shows in France, Italy, Germany, the United States, Egypt, and Greece. Notable exhibitions include those at the Musee du Bardo (2019) and Galerie Le Violon Bleu (2018, 2020) in Tunisia, and the Institut des Cultures d'Islam in France (2018). In addition to her visual art, she has published several poetic works, including "J'ai ferme mes maisons" (2021), which explores her Mediterranean heritage and themes of displacement. Catzaras has also served as the director of the Biennale d'Art Mediterraneen in Tunis (2010) and curated exhibitions in Italy, Saudi Arabia, Tunisia, and Algeria. Her contributions to art and culture have been recognized with the Grand Prix de la Ville de Tunis (2010), and she was named Chevalier des Arts et des Lettres by the French Republic in 2011.

Marianne views the 2025 Amalia Gardens Residency as a deeply resonant context for her practice, which explores layered histories and narratives in the Mediterranean world.