INTERNATIONAL FINE ART · LONDON SINCE 1893 · HONG KONG
Zack Zublena Featured in Watkins Mind Body Spirit — Prestigious London Publishing Heritage Since 1893 | Hong Kong
A distinguished British editorial tradition meets contemporary gold fine art photography in an international interview exploring art, consciousness, ancient symbolism and the transformation of the human figure.
A Hong Kong Perspective · Fine Art · Cultural Heritage · Contemporary Photography
The distinguished British publication Watkins Mind Body Spirit, connected to a London publishing tradition dating back to March 1893, features French-American fine art photographer and multidisciplinary artist Zack Zublena in its Summer 2026 edition.
The interview, entitled The Sacred Frequency of Gold — An Interview with Zack Zublena, begins on page 28 of Issue 86 and explores the artist's personal philosophy, the symbolic significance of gold and his distinctive approach to contemporary photographic art.
The complete conversation was subsequently published on the official Watkins website on November 2, 2026.
For readers in Hong Kong, where centuries of Chinese artistic traditions meet one of Asia's most internationally connected contemporary art scenes, this conversation offers a distinctive perspective on the relationship between precious materials, aesthetic expression and human identity.
Working from Los Angeles, Zack creates original fine art photographs using real human subjects, reflective gold body paint, carefully arranged sculptural poses and controlled lighting. Influenced by Italian Renaissance art and classical sculpture, his compositions explore the human figure as an artistic expression of beauty, presence and transformation.
Watkins: An Established London Publishing Tradition Dating Back to March 1893
The history of Watkins began in London in March 1893, when John Maurice Watkins started editing Book-Notes, a publication concerned with spiritual literature, philosophy, esoteric thought and Eastern traditions.
That early editorial activity became part of a British publishing legacy associated with the exploration of consciousness, philosophical enquiry and spiritual ideas.
For more than 130 years, the Watkins name has remained connected to intellectual curiosity and publications examining the relationship between humanity and the wider universe.
Today's Watkins Mind Body Spirit continues that broader tradition through interviews, essays and reflections on personal development, philosophy, spirituality and the human experience.
The origins of the Watkins publishing tradition are documented by Watkins Books in London.
Featuring Zack Zublena within this editorial context brings a contemporary photographic practice into dialogue with questions that have interested thinkers, artists and readers for generations.
WATKINS MIND BODY SPIRIT · LONDON PUBLISHING HERITAGE SINCE 1893
The Sacred Frequency of Gold
An Interview with Zack Zublena
Discover the complete conversation exploring ancient symbolism, the transformative meaning of gold, artistic creation and spiritual independence.
READ THE COMPLETE WATKINS INTERVIEWPublished online November 2, 2026 · Watkins Magazine
The Sacred Frequency of Gold: From Ancient Civilisations to Contemporary Art
Gold has fascinated humanity for thousands of years. Across different cultures, it has represented light, the sun, permanence, authority and sacred significance.
In his Watkins interview, Zack reflects on the symbolic meaning of gold in ancient Egypt, Mesopotamia, the Inca civilisation and Vedic traditions.
For Hong Kong readers, these reflections can also open a dialogue with the long history of Chinese craftsmanship, Buddhist artistic traditions and the use of precious materials in ceremonial and decorative objects.
Gold has played a distinctive role in various Chinese artistic traditions, including gilded sculpture, ritual objects, jewellery and decorative arts. Its meanings have changed across dynasties, religious contexts and cultural practices.
The Hong Kong Palace Museum, located in the West Kowloon Cultural District, offers an authoritative setting in which to explore Chinese artistic heritage and its relationships with global civilisations.
For Zack, gold is not merely associated with luxury or material value. It represents an artistic possibility: to explore light, the human figure and the transformation of perception.
Gold also possesses an extraordinary cosmic origin, having formed through highly energetic astrophysical processes long before the Earth existed. Zack interprets this scientific history through a personal, poetic and philosophical lens.
In his studio, a real human figure becomes the starting point for a photograph. Reflective gold body paint transforms the way light moves across the body, creating an image that can evoke sculpture rather than conventional portraiture.
Hong Kong Palace Museum: Precious Materials, Chinese Art and Cultural Meaning
The relationship between material beauty and symbolic meaning has been explored through centuries of Chinese artistic production.
Objects created using precious metals, lacquer, porcelain, jade and other carefully selected materials were often expressions of craftsmanship, cultural values and aesthetic refinement.
The Hong Kong Palace Museum presents important works from the Palace Museum and other international collections, encouraging dialogue between Chinese history and global artistic traditions.
Its collections provide a cultural context for considering how materials can communicate ideas that extend beyond their immediate physical properties.
Zack's work does not reproduce historical Chinese art or religious iconography. Instead, his contemporary photographic language offers a personal interpretation of the relationship between material, figure and meaning.
That distinction is important. The connection is a dialogue between artistic traditions, rather than a claim that they share identical purposes or beliefs.
The Human Body as Sculpture: From the Renaissance to Contemporary Photography
At the centre of Zack's practice is the transformation of the human figure into an almost sculptural composition.
His photographs are created using real people, reflective gold body paint and carefully controlled lighting. The subjects are not AI-generated figures.
The influence of Italian Renaissance art appears in the attention given to anatomy, gesture, proportion, balance and the relationship between the human figure and surrounding space.
For viewers in Hong Kong, a city where Eastern and Western artistic influences frequently meet, this approach offers an interesting perspective on international visual culture.
The Hong Kong Museum of Art, established in 1962 and located in Tsim Sha Tsui, explores the relationship between Chinese and Western artistic traditions as well as local and international art.
Its collections demonstrate how artists across different periods and cultures have explored composition, material, form and visual meaning.
Beauty, Contemplation and the Inner Self
During the Watkins conversation, Zack reflects on the ability of artistic beauty to communicate ideas that cannot always be expressed through language.
His creative philosophy recalls an idea often associated with Michelangelo: rather than merely imposing a shape upon a material, the artist may reveal a form that seems already to exist within it.
For Zack, reflective gold can serve a comparable purpose.
Rather than concealing the person being photographed, the gold changes the viewer's perception of the figure.
A hand, a shoulder or the curve of a back can become the central element of an image. The body moves beyond conventional portraiture and becomes an artistic composition defined by light and form.
In Hong Kong, these questions can also be considered within the context of contemporary visual culture and the relationship between artistic innovation and personal identity.
The M+ museum, situated on the Victoria Harbour waterfront in West Kowloon, focuses on twentieth- and twenty-first-century visual art, design, architecture, moving image and Hong Kong visual culture.
Its interdisciplinary approach provides an important reference for understanding how contemporary art continually expands the boundaries between traditional artistic disciplines.
The completed photograph exists as an independent artistic work, allowing viewers to interpret the image through their own experiences and aesthetic sensibilities.
Hong Kong's Creative Identity: From Traditional Arts to M+ and Contemporary Visual Culture
Hong Kong's artistic identity has developed through a continual exchange between regional heritage and international influence.
The city's museums, independent galleries, design communities and visual artists contribute to a cultural environment in which historical craftsmanship and contemporary experimentation coexist.
In addition to M+, the Hong Kong Heritage Museum in Sha Tin provides opportunities to explore Hong Kong's artistic traditions, popular culture, design and cultural history.
The institution's exhibitions and collections connect art with the wider experiences that have shaped the city's identity.
Within this cultural context, Zack's photography offers an international perspective on the human figure and on the ability of contemporary photographic art to explore meaning through visual transformation.
His work remains rooted in a personal creative practice developed in Los Angeles, while inviting a broader conversation about identity, beauty and the power of images.
Diptychs and Triptychs: When Individual Images Become a Larger Composition
An important part of Zack's portfolio consists of diptychs, triptychs and four-piece photographic compositions.
Each photograph retains its individual identity, while the relationship between images creates a larger visual narrative.
Through sculptural gestures, movements and contrasts, the compositions suggest balance, transformation, stillness and continuity.
His yoga-inspired artworks are particularly representative of this approach. Rather than documenting exercise alone, they transform physical positions into carefully structured artistic forms.
Gold, Creativity and Spiritual Sovereignty
The Watkins interview also considers the idea of spiritual sovereignty.
For Zack, this concept relates to the freedom to think independently, question inherited limitations and recognise one's own value.
His artistic interpretation of gold provides a way to explore these ideas through visual form rather than through conventional portraiture.
The reflective surface alters our perception of the human figure, while the long cultural history of gold raises broader questions about value, identity and personal freedom.
The interview also includes the artist's personal reflections on consciousness, resonance and the symbolic relationship between gold and light.
These ideas represent Zack's spiritual and artistic philosophy; they are not claims that gold possesses scientifically demonstrated spiritual properties.
He develops additional reflections on these themes in his book The Sacred Frequency of Gold — Humanity's Blueprint for Awakening.
Hong Kong's International Art Scene: West Kowloon, Central and Wan Chai
Hong Kong occupies a distinctive position in the international contemporary art world, bringing together galleries, collectors, museums and artists from Asia and beyond.
West Kowloon Cultural District, with M+ and the Hong Kong Palace Museum, represents a major cultural destination on Victoria Harbour.
Central and its surrounding neighbourhoods are home to galleries and art spaces that contribute to the city's international cultural exchange.
The Hong Kong Arts Centre in Wan Chai has supported artistic expression and education since 1977, offering programmes across visual arts, film, media and other creative disciplines.
Meanwhile, Art Basel Hong Kong brings together international galleries and modern and contemporary artworks, reinforcing the city's place in global artistic exchange.
These institutions and events form part of the cultural environment in which Hong Kong audiences encounter international fine art photography.
They are included as contextual references and do not imply exhibitions, institutional recognition, partnerships or endorsements involving Zack Zublena.
Fine Art Photography for Hong Kong Interiors: The Peak, Mid-Levels and Repulse Bay
The relationship between fine art and interior architecture is especially relevant in Hong Kong, a city known for its distinctive residential design, dramatic skyline and combination of contemporary and traditional influences.
In a residence on The Peak, an apartment in Mid-Levels, a waterfront home in Repulse Bay, a contemporary interior in West Kowloon or a property in Sai Kung, an original photographic artwork can become a defining element of the space.
Zack's compositions combine reflective gold, dark backgrounds and sculptural human forms, creating a strong visual presence that can complement carefully designed interiors.
In minimalist environments, gold can introduce warmth and contrast against marble, natural stone, wood and restrained neutral finishes.
Within more classical interiors, the references to Renaissance composition and sculpture can create a connection with established traditions of fine art.
Diptychs and triptychs offer an additional possibility: the relationship between multiple images can create visual rhythm and continuity across a wall.
For collectors in Hong Kong, artwork selection is ultimately a personal expression of aesthetic values and cultural interests rather than simply a decorative decision.
Human Connection Through Gold Fine Art Photography
Gold also provides Zack with a visual language for exploring the relationship between two people.
In his artistic compositions featuring couples, the gestures and proximity of each person create a shared visual identity while preserving individuality.
The resulting photographs move beyond conventional couples portraiture, offering a sculptural interpretation of intimacy, trust and human connection.
Reflective gold creates visual continuity between the figures, while the pose and presence of each individual remain central to the artwork.
Across his photographic practice, Zack continues to explore the human figure as a form of artistic expression, whether photographed individually, in dialogue with another person or as part of a larger composition.
An International Interview Connecting Fine Art, Consciousness and British Publishing History
Zack Zublena's interview in Watkins Mind Body Spirit forms part of a wider editorial conversation about human consciousness, philosophical enquiry, spirituality and creative expression.
The Summer 2026 edition includes contributions associated with internationally recognised figures such as Ken Wilber, Michael A. Singer, Jet Li, Pico Iyer, Jonathan Black and Banafsheh Sayyad.
The publication of The Sacred Frequency of Gold offers readers a deeper understanding of Zack's artistic philosophy through a British publication connected to a publishing heritage dating back more than 130 years.
For readers in Hong Kong, the interview creates a meeting point between the symbolism of gold, the history of artistic materials and contemporary photographic practice.
The original full interview is available in English on the Watkins website.
WATKINS · LONDON · PUBLISHING HERITAGE SINCE 1893
The Sacred Frequency of Gold
Read the complete interview with Zack Zublena, featured in Issue 86 of Watkins Mind Body Spirit and published online on November 2, 2026.
READ THE INTERVIEW ON WATKINSYou may also explore the Summer 2026 print edition.
Discover Zack Zublena's Gold Fine Art Photography from Hong Kong
Based in Los Angeles, Zack Zublena creates original photographic artworks combining the human figure, reflective gold and sculptural composition within a distinctive contemporary artistic practice.
His photographs are created with real human subjects, reflective gold body paint and individual artistic direction, without the use of AI-generated imagery.
For collectors and fine art enthusiasts in Central, The Peak, Mid-Levels, Kowloon, Repulse Bay, Sai Kung and throughout Hong Kong, his collections offer an opportunity to discover international contemporary fine art photography.
Explore the Gold Fine Art Photography Collection by Zack Zublena or discover his diptychs, triptychs and four-piece fine art sets.
Hong Kong's Leading Cultural Institutions and Art References
The following institutions provide authoritative resources on Hong Kong's artistic heritage, contemporary culture and international art scene. These links are provided for cultural context and do not imply any exhibition, partnership or endorsement involving Zack Zublena.
- M+ Museum — West Kowloon — contemporary visual art, design, architecture and moving image from Hong Kong, Asia and beyond.
- Hong Kong Museum of Art — Chinese and international fine art, historical collections and the city's artistic heritage.
- Hong Kong Palace Museum — Chinese artistic treasures and international cultural dialogue in West Kowloon.
- Hong Kong Arts Centre — visual arts, film, exhibitions and artistic education in Wan Chai since 1977.
- Hong Kong Heritage Museum — local cultural heritage, artistic traditions, design and popular culture in Sha Tin.
- Art Basel Hong Kong — an international platform connecting galleries, modern art, contemporary art and collectors across Asia and the world.
Zack Zublena — Gold Fine Art Photography
Contemporary photographic art exploring gold, sculptural beauty and human presence for collectors in Hong Kong and around the world.
EXPLORE THE FINE ART COLLECTION

