Zack Zublena at The Other Art Fair Los Angeles 2019: The ZZGALLERY Debut
The 2019 Debut: A Milestone for Zack Zublena and ZZGALLERY
In March 2019, Zack Zublena participated in The Other Art Fair Los Angeles, presented by Saatchi Art. For French artist Zack Zublena, this event marked a significant professional and personal milestone: it was the first public exhibition presented under the ZZGALLERY name. The fair provided a platform to introduce a focused body of work that would become central to his artistic identity—gold fine art photography exploring the intersections of light, identity and the human form.
This debut was an opportunity to present a cohesive aesthetic to a new audience. The works featured human subjects painted with reflective gold-coloured body paint and photographed in compositions exploring contemplation, identity and transformation. The exhibition introduced foundational themes that continue throughout Zublena’s work, moving beyond conventional portraiture to explore the symbolic possibilities of gold and its relationship to the perception of the self.
The relationship between portraiture and identity has a long history within visual culture. The National Portrait Gallery’s resources on identity through portraiture, for example, demonstrate how composition, pose, lighting and visual language can contribute to the representation of identity within photographic portraiture.
The 2019 Los Angeles exhibition was a pivotal moment, crystallising an artistic direction and launching the ZZGALLERY name into the public sphere. It served as an important early step in a journey that has since seen Zack Zublena’s art placed in a variety of professional environments.
This trajectory is particularly relevant to a UK audience. Zack Zublena’s fine art photography has subsequently been installed as part of the interior decoration in more than 120 David Lloyd Clubs across the United Kingdom and continental Europe, including locations in Italy, Spain and the Netherlands. While this extensive installation was not a direct result of the 2019 fair, it demonstrates the continued development and adaptability of the aesthetic introduced in Los Angeles.
To learn more about this project, read How Zack Zublena's Artwork Decorated More Than 120 David Lloyd Clubs.
Presenting a Signature Aesthetic
The core of the work presented in 2019 was its distinctive visual language. By using gold-coloured body paint, Zublena transformed the human body into a luminous, sculptural form that interacts dynamically with light. The photographs capture subtle shifts in reflection and shadow, creating images that appear both powerful and ethereal.
This approach allowed for an exploration of form and identity in which the golden layer functions as a visual and symbolic medium. Rather than simply documenting a person, the photograph can encourage the viewer to consider the human figure in terms of shape, gesture, light and presence.
A Foundation for an Artistic Journey
For any artist, a debut exhibition can become a defining point in the development of a public practice. The 2019 fair provided Zack Zublena with a platform to articulate his vision and share it with an audience of art enthusiasts, collectors and professionals.
It marked a commitment to a specific artistic path centred on fine art photography, the human form and the visual language of gold. This milestone became the beginning of ZZGALLERY’s public exhibition history and provided a foundation for Zack Zublena’s continued artistic development.
The Aesthetic of Gold Fine Art Photography
Zack Zublena’s fine art photography is defined by its considered use of gold as both a visual and symbolic element. The process begins not with a canvas, but with the human form. Models are carefully painted with lustrous, gold-coloured body paint, creating a reflective surface that interacts directly with the photographic lighting.
The resulting photographs are studies in light, form and texture. The metallic appearance of the paint produces a wide tonal range, from brilliant highlights to deep shadows. This interplay accentuates the body’s natural contours whilst giving the subject a sculptural, almost otherworldly presence.
Photography itself has a long history as an artistic medium. The Victoria and Albert Museum’s photography collection traces the medium from the nineteenth century to contemporary practice and includes hundreds of thousands of photographic works.
Gold and gold-like colour also carry powerful historical associations. The British Museum notes, for example, that in ancient Egypt brilliant yellow, used as a substitute for gold, was associated with the life-giving sun and the flesh of the gods.
Within Zublena’s own visual language, these historical associations provide a point of departure rather than a fixed interpretation. Gold becomes a metaphorical device through which ideas of transformation, identity, value and inner potential can be explored.
Art Rooted in Form and Light
The aesthetic introduced at the 2019 exhibition is grounded in principles of composition and form whilst remaining distinctly contemporary. The emphasis on the human body connects the work to the long tradition of figurative art, as defined by Tate, while photography and reflective body paint give the images their contemporary visual character.
The compositions use lines, curves, negative space, highlights and shadow to direct the eye and create visual balance. In many works, the individual identity of the subject becomes secondary to the shape and presence of the human form itself.
The Symbolic Resonance of Gold
The colour and reflective quality of gold are central to the work’s visual impact. Gold naturally attracts attention and has accumulated religious, royal, ceremonial and material associations throughout art history.
In Zack Zublena’s photographs, however, gold is not simply used as decoration. It becomes part of the conceptual structure of the image, encouraging questions about value, identity, transformation and how the human body is perceived.
The photographs invite a slower form of viewing in which the relationship between the body, darkness, light and the reflective golden surface can unfold over time.
Exploring the Collections and Artistic Journey
The vision Zack Zublena presented at The Other Art Fair in 2019 was not a singular moment but the beginning of a sustained artistic exploration. The themes of transformation, light and identity introduced at that first ZZGALLERY exhibition have continued to evolve into distinct collections offering different perspectives on these central ideas.
Navigating the body of work today means tracing the lineage of that initial aesthetic. The considered use of gold-coloured body paint, the focus on the human form and the contemplative mood provide common threads connecting many of the different photographic series.
For private collectors, interior designers, architects and hospitality or wellness professionals, understanding this history provides useful context for the collections available today.
From Golden Souls to the Holy Collection
The evolution of Zack Zublena’s work can be seen in collections such as Golden Souls. This series explores the idea of an inner luminous self through figures presented in dynamic and introspective poses. High-contrast lighting gives many of the photographs a dramatic, sculptural appearance.
Another significant series, the Holy Collection, shifts the focus towards themes of reverence and the sacred. Its compositions draw upon the visual language of religious and ceremonial imagery whilst reinterpreting those references through Zack Zublena’s contemporary photographic practice.
Together, these collections demonstrate how the foundational aesthetic presented publicly in 2019 has developed into a broader body of work, offering a distinctive visual language for collectors and design professionals seeking fine art photography centred on the human form, light and gold.
Professional Enquiries and Further Information
For architects, interior designers, hospitality professionals, wellness spaces and art curators interested in Zack Zublena’s fine art photography, the 2019 debut at The Other Art Fair provides important context for the development of ZZGALLERY.
To learn more about the French artist’s background and artistic development, visit the About Zack Zublena page.
ZZGALLERY welcomes enquiries from professionals regarding artwork for individual interiors as well as projects involving multiple locations. For information about available works or to discuss specific project requirements, please contact the gallery directly.
