L.A. Photo Curator: Global Photography Awards - 'Where Photography & Philanthropy Meet'

OUR DRAMATIC LANDSCAPE-Curator Michael Kirchoff > BEST SERIES: Thomas Zamolo

BEST SERIES: Thomas Zamolo

MER DE GLACE by Thomas Zamolo
BEST SERIES
(Click on image for larger view)

Thomas Zamolo says, "My name is Thomas Zamolo, I am a french artist living in Sweden since the year 2000. i have chosen those 3 images for your theme because through out the two last years both in the summer and winter, I have been enjoying going back to my roots and especially where I come from in the French Alps to photograph the landscapes.

Hiking around on the top of Europe, I am feeling small and humble beside those big dramatic rocks, but it also gives me a lots of courage and energy. happiness to feel close and connected to nature, but also sadness to see glaciers melting so fast years after years. In regards to your theme I stop on the word "our" and question myself on how do we take care of what is ours... or even, maybe we should not think that this place is ours. Maybe more like a guest that needs to behave much better...

There's for sure a lots of emotions that goes through me and hope to capture some bits of it on my polaroid films.

Instant film and I have been using each other since the moment we have found one another. I now come to understand that right from the start and through the interest, challenge, frustration, pride: we were simply collaborating all along. At times, I am mistreating it and in other moments the film showing me it’s artistic power, nourishing my curiosity to push it even further.

A broad curiosity that led to slowly building a body of work, creating photographs ranging from mosaic to landscape to portraits, in the direction of any technique or projects in which my interest took me.

I am not the type of photographer that will want to shoot with the same camera and film my whole life. I am too unfaithful for that and way too excited about the potential this medium has to offer.

While using the classical canon of beauty, I’m seeking a multiple layering in the reading of my photographs. An exploration and questioning of the content but at times also commenting on the support or context of photography itself.

As an artist, it is hard these days not to be affected by what is happening around us. Since a couple of years and with different series or projects, I find myself attracted to work around the topics of identity, gender, beauty, eroticism, nihilism and other darker feelings the human can get stuck with."

Thomas Zamolo's artistic practice engages the cross-pollination of knowledge from his long-term experience in photography, dance and lighting design.

His interest in instant photography stems, in part, from a fascination with the romantic, eerie and painterly qualities possible with the techniques of such chemical processes and analogue technologies. As a photographer, Thomas is perhaps best known for his work with mosaic. In his images he explores a wide range of topics from surreal landscape to psychosocial staged scenes. He was born in France and now lives and works in Sweden.

CAREER HIGHLIGHTS:

• Represented by LittleBig Galerie in Paris and Arles

SELECTED EXHIBITION BETWEEN 2010 TO PRESENT:

- “LOST SHADOW // Not yet, already gone” / Solo Exhibition/ Littlebig Galerie, Paris

- Chair / Group exhibition / A Smith Gallery, Johnson City, Texas, USA

(Awarded "Director's Honorable mention)

- The Photographic Nude 2018 / Group exhibition / LightBOX Photographic gallery. Astoria, Oregon, USA

- “Classical Position” / Solo Exhibition/ Impossible Project Space Paris

- Black & White (and Blue) / Group Exhibition / Darkroom Gallery, Vermont, USA

- Flawed / Group exhibition / A Smith Gallery, Johnson City, Texas, USA

(Awarded "Director's selection)

- Le Polaroid dans tous ses états / SOLO exhibition / Little Big Galerie, Paris.

- IDENTITY / SOLO exhibition / Galleri Axel, Stockholm/Sweden.

- Solo Exhibition - EN FACE / Paris.

SELECTED PUBLICATIONS:

Polaroid The Missing Manual

Pryme 2017 Annual Journal

Analog Magazine issue 5#

Blur Magazine Issue #41, #42

Heaven

Supplementaire, Isue #15

Le Polaroid / technique et artistique

C-International Photo Magazine

TicKL Magazine, Volume #3, #4

www.thomaszamolo.com

Les Drus by Thomas Zamolo
(Click on image for larger view)

AIGUILLE DU GREPON by Thomas Zamolo
(Click on image for larger view)