Zelda Zinn

Big Bang/Small Pop

July 3 - September 4, 2014

This exhibition brings together two consecutive bodies of work: Irresistible Air, and Blueprint. Both series explore what is suitable subject matter for a photograph, and how a photograph is constructed. Both ask the question what is a photograph and how can it engage us in the age of Instagram.

In the first series, Irresistible Air, I created small sculptures from the air pillows that arrived in the mail with some equipment. The air bubbles reminded me of one of my first photos: a magical picture of my best friend blowing a huge gum bubble. Shooting these air pouches allowed me to work with many of the elements that I love about photography: the transmission and reflection of light, the description of surfaces and shape, as well as tonal range. Simple materials became a screen onto which one could project one’s own vision, or simply appreciate the pleasures of light and physics.

In Blueprint, I also worked with materials that were at hand. I started with a length of paper, usually backdrop paper, and took it through a series of transformations, photographing the outcome. I crushed it, letting the ripples and ridges fall where they would. This turned it into a sculpture, giving it depth and volume. Using the folds as a starting point, I then applied paint, turning it into a painting. Finally, I lit and framed the piece, photographed it, and printed it as a 2-d image. The original paper was a temporary and fragile surface destined for the recycle bin. The photograph is all that remains of the event, a record of the processes that created it.

ABOUT THE ARTIST: Zelda Zinn was born in Louisiana, and grew up in a big family in Texas, back when it was a blue state. Drawing and dreaming up contraptions were early pleasures. She fell in love with photography when she was 10 years old, having taken a magical photo of her best friend with a huge gum bubble covering her face. She attended an arts high school before studying the classics at St. John’s College. For grad school, she attended University of New Mexico, receiving an MA and an MFA in photography. A long-time photography teacher, she loves making photo enthusiasts of her students. Her work has been shown in numerous national and international exhibitions including at the Center for Fine Art Photography and the Santa Monica Museum of Art. She was fortunate to be awarded several artist’s residencies, including the Santa Fe Art Institute and Vermont Studio Center. http://www.zeldazinn.com/