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 the 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 in Salzburg, Austria and in addition he is presenting his De zona rubra exhibition at the Im Kult Atelier in Marling, Italy.

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, Italy
Light in the cities I, Appendix Art Hub, Künstlerhaus Salzburg, Salzburg, Austria

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

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

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

2006
nuclear con/fusion, AP Gallery, Bozen, Italy

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

2002
All that Jazz, Parkhotel Laurin, Bozen, Italy

2000
Sole, Vocational school Luis Zuegg, Meran, Italy

1998
à Paris, gallery Spectrum, Linz, Austria

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

1995
Passerwasser, Espace Vue d’Ailleurs, Paris, France

1994
Transumanza (book), Verein der Bücherwürmer, Lana, Italy

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

1992
Passerwasser (catalogue), Lesesaal, Kurhaus, Meran, Italy

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

2023
Bolzano Art Weeks, Gemeinschaftszentrum Maria Heim, Bozen, Italy

2022
Bolzano Art Weeks, Atelier Louis Celia Zippo, Frangart, Italy

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

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

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

2010
20 Jahre Galerie Spectrum, Linz, Austria

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

2006
summerendphotonights, open-air photofestival, Meran, Italy

2005
hypegallery, galleria Assab One-Ex Gea, Milan, Italy

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

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

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

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

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

1999
Hundert Jahre, Hundert Bilder (catalogue), Galerie Fotoforum, Bozen, Italy

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

1994
Panorama – young art in South Tyrol (catalogue), Fiera Bolzano Fair, Bozen, Italy
panorama & panorama, Galerie Klemens Gasser, Bozen, Italy

1993
Giovani fotografi italiani, Spazio Ansaldo, Milan, Italy
Giovani fotografi italiani (catalogue), Sala Piazza Grande, Modena, Italy

1989
150 Jahre Fotografie, Landesfürstliche Burg, Meran, Italy

1987
Bäume, Artgallery Volksbank, Meran, Italy

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

Raiffeisen Meran, 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