BORDER BOOK FESTIVAL
FEATURED WRITER AND ARTIST BIOGRAPHIES

DANIEL ZOLINSKY

Daniel Zolinsky was born in Paris, France, to a French mother and a Russian father. At the age of ten, on an Agfa “Golf” camera, he began to record his experiences after a memorable transatlantic voyage followed by a transcontinental trip across the U.S. Not only was this his introduction to photography, it was the beginning of his new life in the U.S. The family settled in San Francisco, California.

Trained as a sculptor and painter in college, Zolinsky was also a student of philosopher, Alan Watts. At the age of twenty, he began the first of many solitary voyages throughout the world—Europe, Africa, México, Asia. His time in the Himalayas marks the beginning of long-range photographic treks on foot. This discipline of photography and walking is a way of living as well as working.

Zolinsky has lived and worked in Florence, Italy and Rome, working as a sculptor. This was the beginning of many sojourns to all parts of northern and southern Italy. He has also lived in Taos and Santa Fe, working as a sculptor and jeweler. Travels include Asia. Primarily Burma, Thailand, India, Sri Lanka, and Nepal.

In 1981 Zolinsky settled in Santa Fe, where he met renowned French photographer, Bernard Plossu. This was the beginning of a lifelong friendship that led to photographic treks throughout the desert Southwest through the mid 1980s and later in Mali and that continues to this day.

In 1987 Zolinsky met Michel Fresson in Paris and began a long collaboration with the Fresson family. The first series of Fresson prints of the Eolian Islands north of Sicily is shown at the Picto-Bastille Gallery in Paris. This was the beginning of a long-time interest and passion on the theme of the Mediterranean and its many islands.

In the late 1980s Zolinsky lived and worked in Houston, Texas. He was a member of the Houston Center for Photography. He spent time photographing different parts of México, primarily Michoacan, Oaxaca, and México City. An exhibit of his Mexican work was shown at the University of Saint Thomas Bookstore Gallery in 1988.

The 90s heralded travel to Mali with Bernard Plossu, and the Greek and Italian Islands. In 1994 he participated with a series of Fresson prints of the Mediterranean in “Vue sur Mer” a group show of Mediterranean photographers curated by the city of Aubagne in Provence.

In 1995 Zolinsky was commissioned to photograph the Reserve Géologique de Haute Provence near Digne, France as one of the invited artists of its international year of cultural events on the theme of “Mémoires de la Terre” (Memories of the Earth). A Solo show of Fresson prints on the theme of “La Terre et le Temps” (Time and the Earth) followed at the Centre Géologique Gallery in Digne, France and included publication of photographs in “Les Hautes Vallées de l’Asse” a book with text by Helene Vesian and Watercolors by Sam Scott.

Other shows include “Déserts” a group show at Galerie La Bas in Marseille, France in 1996, and a four person inaugural show at The Picture Gallery in Santa Fe, New Mexico with Tony O’Brien, Steve Northrup, and Bill Clark.

Since moving to Las Cruces with his wife, writer Denise Chávez, another important photographic interest manifested itself in the theme of the U.S./México border-La Frontera.

In 1999, he participated in a photo exhibit on the theme of La Frontera and was the recipient of a IV Concurso Binacional Frontera-Ford Foundation Siqueiros-Pollack prize at the Museo de Arte (INBA) in Ciudad Juárez, México.

In 2001, Zolinsky was involved in a photo exhibit and publication of a book of landscape photographs by seven photographers “A Travers la Réserve Géologique de Haute Provence” published by ADRI/Reserve Géologique. France.

A Solo Exhibit followed at the 2002 Photography Biennial in Lyon, France on the theme “Latinitées Photographiques: du Rio Grande a Tierra Del Fuego” representing the Río Grande with a series of images on the U.S./México border.

In addition, in 2005 he participated in the Summer Regional Invitational exhibit at the New Mexico State University Art Gallery with a series of Fresson color prints. That year a large format photography book entitled “Montagnes Sacrees” (Sacred Mountains) was published by Editions du Chêne in Paris, France with a text by Elisabeth Foch.

In 2006, Zolinksy participated with a series of Fresson prints in a two person show with Bernard Plossu entitled “THE EDGE OF SILENCE: Photographs of the African Desert,” exhibited at The Oldest House Gallery, Santa Fe, New Mexico. Participation in a four-person show and publication of four accompanying books at the Fabrique du Pont d’Aleyrac Gallery in Ardèche, France took place in 2007. In 2008, a show took place in Valencia, Spain, and featured his work in a book entitled Visiones de México: 21 fotográfos.

Daniel Zolinsky is the official Border Book Festival photographer and continues to work on international projects of all kinds including a border project and a book on the Mediterranean. He has lived in the desert Southwest since 1969. A passionate traveler, he continues to work in different parts of the world. The most current project in 2009 was a solo show at the Festival Internacional Teruel Punto Foto in Teruel, Spain.
 
For more information contact Daniel Zolinsky at dcz46@comcast.net