David Zimmerman (photographer)
David J. Zimmerman (born 1955) is an American photographer who works on long-term projects of social documentary and landscape photography. His works include landscape photographs in deserts of the American southwest, still life studies in communities of marginalized inhabitants in New Mexico, and portraits of Tibetan refugees living in India.
Zimmerman's monograph, One Voice: Portraits from the Tibetan Diaspora was published in 2017.[1]
Zimmerman has won the L'Iris d'Or, 'Photographer of the Year' at the Sony World Photography Awards.[2] He is a member of the World Photographic Academy.[3]
Life and work[edit]
Zimmerman was born in 1955 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.[citation needed][4] He graduated from Brooks Institute in Santa Barbara, California in 1981 with a degree in photography.[5]
Photographer Mary Ellen Mark called Zimmerman's Desert works "a unique vision of the beauty, poetry and power possible in great landscape photography".[6] Of Zimmerman's series Last Refuge[7][8] – photographs in marginalized communities in New Mexico, photo historian Carole Naggar writes:
Even though they speak to us of an endangered territory and its marginalized inhabitants, Zimmerman's photographs leave us room for hope. They do not illustrate an idea but remain open to mystery, projecting a metaphysical presence. Zimmerman's work is unique in that it is positioned at the crossroads of two traditions: landscape photography and the study of the impact of man on his environment, represented by photographers such as Robert Adams and Richard Misrach, both of whom he admires; and humanistic photography in the tradition of the Farm Security Administration, which documented the great migrations in the wake of the Depression. Whether indirectly, through photos of the territory, or directly, through portraits, it is always people who are at the center of Zimmerman's preoccupations. Between sand and sky, earth and heaven, the images of Last Refuge are above all a testimony to man's resilience and spirit, living in a damaged territory.[9]
Zimmerman's work, One Voice: Portraits from the Tibetan Diaspora (2012–2017) was photographed in Tibetan villages, nomad camps, and refugee settlements in India.[10] Robert Hariman writes (in his essay "The Last Individuals") "The portraits are profoundly evocative precisely because they draw on deep wells of moral and artistic truth. By risking dismissal for being conventional, they each paradoxically achieve the singularity of a work of art."[1]
Zimmerman has been a guest artist in Mumbai, India at the Photographers Guild of India in 2005,[11] and the National Centre for the Performing Arts in 2013.[12] In 2014 he presented a seminar of the work One Voice at the Annenberg Space for Photography[13] in Los Angeles.
In 2011 Zimmerman co-founded the Himalayan Art Centre – a school providing free education in visual story-telling through photography and filmmaking in Dharamshala, India.[14]
In July 2020, David Zimmerman partnered with the digital collectible cards company Phil Ropy and created a card to raise awareness for The Tibet Fund. The picture on the card shows a portrait of a Tibetan monk from his monograph, One Voice: Portraits from the Tibetan Diaspora.[1] The card is displayed on the home page of the Tibet Fund's website[1] and the proceeds from the sales of the card are redistributed to the organization.[15]
Publications[edit]
- Last Refuge. Exhibition catalog. New York, NY: Sous Les Etoiles Gallery, 2011. ISBN 9781467509213[16]
- One Voice: Portraits from the Tibetan Diaspora. Heidelberg, Germany: Kehrer Verlag, 2017. ISBN 978-3-86828-773-8.[17]
Technique[edit]
Zimmerman's Gulf Coast portraits were photographed with an 8×10 inch large format view camera.[18]
Exhibitions[edit]
- Desert, Aperture Gallery, New York, NY., Galerie Esther Woerdehoff, Paris, France. Centro de la Imagen, Mexico City.[19] World Photography Awards global tour, 2009 (with others).
- Desert, World Photography Organisation, Cannes, France, 2010. (solo)
- Barriers, Thessaloniki Photo Festival "Contrast", Thessaloniki, Greece, 2010 (solo).[20]
- Manmade Landscape, "Curator's Choice", Harwood Museum of Art, Taos, NM, 2011 (with others).
- Last Refuge, Sous Les Etoiles Gallery, New York, NY, 2011/2012 (solo).[21]
- One Voice: Portraits from the Tibetan Diaspora, "Tulkus 1880-2018, Paola Pivi", Witte de With Centrum voor Hedendaagse Kunst, Rotterdam, Netherlands, 2013 (with others).[22]
- One Voice: Portraits from the Tibetan Diaspora, "Refugee", Annenberg Space for Photography, Los Angeles, CA, 2016 (with others).[23]
- One Voice: Portraits from the Tibetan Diaspora, Sous Les Etoiles Gallery, New York, NY, 2017 (solo).[24][25]
Awards[edit]
- 2009: World Photography Awards, World Photography Organisation, L'Iris d'Or, Photographer of the Year, for the Desert project.[26]
- 2009: World Photography Awards, World Photography Organisation, Fine Art Landscape, Winner, for the Desert project.[27][better source needed]
- 2009: Photolucida Critical Mass, Finalist, for the Barriers project.[28]
- 2009: Center for Fine Art Photography, Director's Selection Award, Juror's Selection Award, for a photograph from the Desert project.[29]
- 2017: International Photography Awards, Best of Show (Print),[30] 3rd Prize, Monograph, One Voice: Portraits from the Tibetan Diaspora.[31]
References[edit]
- ^ a b c Zimmerman, David; Gyal, Dhondup; Gyatso, Tenzin; Hariman, Robert; Paddock, Eric; Sonam, Bhuchung D; Verlag, Kehrer (2017). David Zimmerman One Voice. ISBN 978-3-86828-773-8. OCLC 968221670.
- ^ "American photographer David Zimmerman wins top prize at Sony World". The Independent. 2009-04-17. Retrieved 2020-08-25.
- ^ "World Photographic Academy". World Photography Organisation. Retrieved 2020-08-25.
- ^ "Barriers". Hellenic American Union. Archived from the original on 2012-07-17. Retrieved February 6, 2021.
- ^ "David Zimmerman | Artist | Capital Culture Gallery". Capital Culture. Retrieved 2021-02-06.
- ^ "Desert shots awarded photo prize". BBC. 2009-04-17. Retrieved 2020-08-10.
- ^ Miller, Jared T. "Clothing as Artifact: David Zimmerman's 'Last Refuge'". Time. Retrieved 2020-08-25.
- ^ "The New York Photo Review David Zimmerman at Sous les Etoiles". www.nyphotoreview.com. Retrieved 2020-08-25.
- ^ "David Zimmerman – Last refuge". The Eye of Photography Magazine. 2012-01-11. Retrieved 2020-08-10.
- ^ "David Zimmerman, CNN Photos". Retrieved 2020-08-11.
- ^ Doshi, Anjali (February 28, 2005). "PGI organises 'New-School 2005' Asia's foremost photography seminar". India Today. Retrieved 2020-08-25.
- ^ Johnyml (2013-07-06). "The Art Daily: Photographer David Zimmerman, Take on residencies symposium, and more." The Art Daily. Retrieved 2020-08-25.
- ^ "David Zimmerman". Annenberg Space for Photography. Retrieved 2020-08-11.
- ^ Garrett, Jenna (2013-12-18). "The Inspiring Stories of Five Photographers Committed to Making a Difference". Feature Shoot. Retrieved 2020-08-25.
- ^ "Many Ways to Support". The Tibet Fund.
- ^ Last refuge. Sous Les Etoiles Gallery. August 22, 2012. OCLC 810278180 – via Open WorldCat.
- ^ One voice: Portraits from the Tibetan diaspora. Kehrer. August 22, 2017. OCLC 980946863 – via Open WorldCat.
- ^ O'Neill, Claire (2 August 2010). "Putting Aa Face on the Oil Spill". NPR.org. Retrieved 2020-08-25.
- ^ "Centro de la Imagen | Exposiciones 2009". centrodelaimagen.cultura.gob.mx. Retrieved 2020-08-21.
- ^ Barriers. David Zimmerman. "Thessaloniki Photo Festival Contrast".
- ^ "The New York Photo Review David Zimmerman at Sous les Etoiles". www.nyphotoreview.com. Retrieved 2020-08-13.
- ^ "Tulkus 1880 to 2018 Paola Pivi". Witte de With Centrum voor Hedendaagse Kunst. Retrieved 2020-08-12.
- ^ "David Zimmerman: One Voice: Portraits of Tibetans Living in Exile". Annenberg Space for Photography. Retrieved 2020-08-12.
- ^ "David Zimmerman: One Voice". Sous Les Etoiles Gallery. Retrieved 2020-08-12.
- ^ "One Voice". Wall Street International. 2017-06-26. Retrieved 2020-08-12.
- ^ "American photographer David Zimmerman wins top prize at Sony World". The Independent. 2009-04-17. Retrieved 2020-08-12.
- ^ "Sony World Photography Awards 2009 Winners Announced". Mynewsdesk. Retrieved 2020-08-12.
- ^ Ruben (2009-08-31). "ARTmostfierce: Photolucida's 2009 Critical Mass 175 Finalists!". ARTmostfierce. Retrieved 2020-08-12.
- ^ "David Zimmerman (Director's Selection Award, Juror's Selection Award)". The Center for Fine Art Photography. 2009-12-15. Retrieved 2020-08-12.[permanent dead link]
- ^ "IPA 2017 Winner / David Zimmerman". www.photoawards.com. Retrieved 2020-08-12.
- ^ "IPA 2017 Winner / One Voice / David Zimmerman". www.photoawards.com. Retrieved 2020-08-12.