about

Louis Celia Zippo

(*1960, Meran)

The main themes of his work are people as well as the environment and nature, all of which he likes reflecting in black and white photos. For him, light is vital for life and pressing the shutter release on a camera is like breathing air.

After completing a technical degree his interest in photography grew and he worked as an assistant to international fashion photographers at Elle magazine in Paris. Attending a photography class at the Summer Academy in Salzburg along with Verena von Gagern and Michael Mauracher enabled him to develop a spiritual connection to the unknown language of photography.

In 1992 he presented his first solo exhibition Passerwasser, followed by the books Transumanza and Des Weges as well as other projects such as à Paris, Sole, Durchs milde wilde Kurdistan, Farbenfrieden, Baalbek, nuclear con/fusion, All that jazz and Sabbioneta-Frangart. He takes part in group exhibitions and photography festivals, e.g. International Photography Gathering in Aleppo, Espace SD gallery in Beirut, Total Arts gallery in Dubai, Circuito OFF Fotografia Europea, Gualtieri and the Bolzano Art Weeks in Bozen.

In 2024 he has been offered from Kunst Meran an artist residency at Künstlerhaus Salzburg and in addition he is presenting his De zona rubra exhibition at the Im Kult Atelier in Marling.

2018
Masterclass Visual Storytelling with Alison Morley and Saul Metnick, Camera, Torino

2014
International EMBA, SMBS, Salzburg

1995 et al.
Workshops with the photographers Claude Nori, Guy Le Querrec, Andreas Weidner et. al.

1986
Salzburg International Summer academy of Fine Arts, Course photography with Verena von Gagern and Michael Mauracher, Salzburg

1984
Beverage Technology, Fachhochschule Wiesbaden, Geisenheim

2024
De zona rubra (catalogue), Atelier Im Kult, Marling + Raiffeisen Meran, Meran
Light in the cities I, Appendix Art Hub, Künstlerhaus Salzburg, Salzburg

2014
All that jazz, Open air art gallery Gries Art Space, Lana + University of Bolzano Library, Bozen

2013
Through the mild and wild Kurdistan (slide show), Kunsthaus Meran, Meran

2009
Through the mild and wild Kurdistan, Atelierhaus, Museion, Bozen

2006
nuclear con/fusion, AP Gallery, Bozen

2004
nuclear con/fusion (with Vera Lopes), Centre d’art Camac, Marney s/Seine

2002
All that Jazz, Parkhotel Laurin, Bozen

2000
Sole, Vocational school Luis Zuegg, Meran

1998
à Paris, gallery Spectrum, Linz

1997
à Paris, gallery Fotoforum, Bozen
Des Weges (book), Agricultural Museum Brunnenburg, Dorf Tirol

1995
Passerwasser, Espace Vue d’Ailleurs, Paris

1994
Transumanza (book), Verein der Bücherwürmer, Lana

1993
Passerwasser, National Park Adamello, Saviore + gallery Fotoforum West, Innsbruck

1992
Passerwasser (catalogue), Lesesaal, Kurhaus, Meran

2024
Homo ferens / Frauen tragen (catalogue), Museum Brunnenburg, Dorf Tirol
Il mare dentro, Satura Palazzo Stella, Genova

2023
Bolzano Art Weeks, Gemeinschaftszentrum Maria Heim, Bozen

2022
Bolzano Art Weeks, Atelier Louis Celia Zippo, Frangart

2021
Artists for Merano, Palais Mamming, Meran
Sulla Luna e sulla Terra/fate largo ai sognatori! Circuito OFF-Fotografia Europea, Palazzo Bentivoglio, Gualtieri

2017
Was ist Heimat? (catalogue), Touring exhibition, NöART, St. Pölten

2015
25 Jahre Galerie Spectrum (catalogue), OÖ Landesdienstleistungszentrum, Linz

2010
20 Jahre Galerie Spectrum, Linz

2009
4 x HerzBunker = Museum der Herzen, Museum der Herzen, Saltaus
Konflikte oder die Gegenwart in der Vergangenheit (catalogue), Tammerburg, Lienz

2006
summerendphotonights, open-air photofestival, Meran

2005
hypegallery, galleria Assab One-Ex Gea, Milan

2004
International Visual Art Exhibition (catalogue), gallery Total Arts, Dubai
Arredo, Fiera di Bolzano, Bozen
die nacht, la notte, Gunpowder Tower, Meran
hypegallery.fr, online gallery, web

2003
Percorsi d’Arte (catalogue), Villa Graziani, San Giustino
Ten Views, gallery espace sd, Beirut
Foto in Cena, Espaço Sesc, Rio de Janeiro
10 Jahre Fotoforum, Galerie Fotoforum, Bozen

2001
The 5th. International Photography Gathering (catalogue), Aleppo
Fotospectrum, Kammerhofgalerie of the city Gmunden, Gmunden

2000
10 Jahre Galerie Spectrum, Linz
Übergänge (book), Expo 2000, Hannover

1999 – 2002
Überblick: die Fotoszene in Südtirol (catalogue), Touring exhibition in seven galleries in Austria and Italy

1999
Hundert Jahre, Hundert Bilder, (slide show, catalogue), Galerie Fotoforum, Bozen

1998
Projekt Camera Obscura, Art school Gardeina, St. Ulrich

1994
Panorama – young art in South Tyrol (catalogue), fair area, Bozen
panorama & panorama, Galerie Klemens Gasser, Bozen

1993
Giovani fotografi italiani, Spazio Ansaldo, Milan
Giovani fotografi italiani, Sala Piazza Grande, Modena

1989
150 Jahre Fotografie, Landesfürstliche Burg, Meran

1987
Bäume, Artgallery Volksbank, Meran

2024
Minimalist Photography Awards 2024, Night Category Honorable Mention

Artist in residence, AIR, Künstlerhaus Salzburg, Salzburg

2009
Nomination Durst Fotopreis, Tammerburg, Lienz

2004
Artist in residence, Fondation Ténot, Centre d’art Camac, Marney s/Seine

2000
Brocia d’Or (award for communication in South Tyrol) for the book Des Weges, Bozen

1998
Diploma for creative excellence, Hasselblad Open, International Photo Contest, Göteborg

1996
Postgraduate grant from the Ministry of Culture for the book Des Weges, Bozen

1990
Postgraduate grant from the Ministry of Culture for the project Passerwasser, Bozen

1985
Assistant of fashion photographers, Studio Elle, Paris

1978
Photo award Alto Adige newspaper, Meran

2024
De zona rubra, catalogue, 15 B/W photos colored by hand by Monika Hartl, text Heidy Kessler and Louis Celia Zippo, limited edition of 330 copies, numbered and signed by hand, 89books, Palermo

1997
Des Weges, book, 51 B/W photos, text Markus Vallazza, Edition Raetia, Bozen

1994
Transumanza, book, 15 B/W and 61 color photos, text Siegfried W. de Rachewiltz and Roberto Togni, Edition Sturzflüge/Edition Löwenzahn, Bozen/Innsbruck

1992
Passerwasser, catalogue, 15 B/W photos, text Ken Damy and Andreas Zipperle, limited edition of 550 copies, numbered and signed by hand, Meran

Sammlung Stadt Salzburg, Salzburg

Museum Brunnenburg, Dorf Tirol

Centre d’art Camac, Marney s/Seine

Museo Ken Damy, Brescia

Museum der Herzen, Saltaus

Gallery Total Arts, Dubai

Kunstsammlung des Landes Oberösterreich, Linz

Sammlung des Tiroler Archivs für fotografische Kunst und Dokumentation, Lienz

Parkhotel Laurin, Bozen

Private collections