Zabo Chabiland (b. 1968) is a French visual artist working in the fields of contemporary
photography, video and sound performance.
She has lived and worked in New York, Paris, Berlin and is currently based in the Loire Valley.
She graduated from the International Center of Photography in New York in 1988.
Her artistic process is inextricably linked to her personal history. Growing up in a creative
environment, she learned early on to build bridges between different mediums. During long periods
of experimentation, she confronted photography with fabric, non photographic papers and X-ray
film, following her personal path and pace through series questioning the notion and the codes of
portraiture, the “positive” and “negative” rendering, the boarders between the visible and the
invisible. She developed over time a consistent body of work composed of series that all flow from
each other and mobilise the gaze of the viewer, the scotopic vision or its understanding of
portraiture or landscape (“calm violence”, “anonymous portraits of identity”, “permeable and
variable”, “profiling watermarks”, “anatoms”, “neuzusammensetzung”). In parallel, she developed
another body of work driven by moving images and sound performances, involving numerous
collaborators, through chance encounters (“sleeping odyssey”, “DDR-DPRK trägheit”, “piano
stripes”, “elbow in C”).
She is currently working on a project that combines both, photography and sound with an edition of
vinyl pressed on X-ray film.
After living and working in New York (1986-2003), Paris (2003-2005), Berlin (2005-2021) she established her new base in the Loire Valley in 2021. She studied at the International Center of Photography in New York in the full time general studies program with the visual artist Sam Samore (class of 1988).
As the daughter of an inventor, Zabo learned early on to build bridges between different mediums. She began by confronting photography with painting, then with silk-screening and then with radiography. From 1988 to 1992, she produced a series of 22 black-on-black portraits, printed on linen, soliciting the progressive reading and the scotopic vision of the viewer. The series has been presented in various venues including the Photographer's Gallery in London and at the Galerie Albert Benamou in Paris. Her experiments on the fusion between photography and silk-screening lead her in 1997 to radiography. The first installation "corps en suspens" was presented by Esther Woerdehoff at Paris Photo in 1997.
These long periods of experimentation led her to practice in parallel, in a more spontaneous way, music, video and performance. In 1998, she formed with the artist Kevin Morrison, Wasteband, fusing experimental music, video, performance, manifesto and collaborations.
In 2005 Zabo moved to Berlin and developed sound performances following different protocols. The sound piece "Elbow in C” ongoing since 2008 was presented in many festivals including Mad festival (La Maison rouge) in Paris or at the Fluxus Blago Bung festival (Emily Harvey Foundation) in New York. For the piece "Piano Stripes for 36 hands”, Zabo created an ensemble of 18 performers, this piece was presented in Berlin and at the Beaux Arts de Paris during the 68th edition of Jeune création. Her first vinyl "Watewah-Sleeping Odyssey" was released in 2020 on the label "Grautag records".
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language folder
Zabo Chabiland est une artiste visuelle et sonore française née en 1968.
Après avoir vécu et travaillé à New York (1986-2003), Paris (2003-2005), Berlin (2005-2021), elle a établi sa nouvelle base en Anjou en 2021.
Elle a étudié la photographie à l’International Center of Photography de New York dans le cursus “full time general studies” dirigé par le photographe Robert Blake et l’artiste plasticien Sam Samore (promotion 1988).
Fille d’inventeur, Zabo a appris très tôt à créer des passerelles entre les différents médiums. Elle a commencé par confronter la photographie à la peinture, puis à la sérigraphie et à la radiographie. De 1988 à 1992, en référence à Malevitch, elle réalise une série de 22 portraits noir sur noir, tirés en argentique sur de la toile de Lin, sollicitant la lecture progressive et la vision scotopique du regardeur. La série a été présentée dans différents lieux dont la Photographer’s Gallery de Londres. Ses expériences sur la fusion entre la photographie et la sérigraphie la conduisent en 1997 vers la radiographie positive, elle transforme dès lors son laboratoire photo en laboratoire radiographique.
Ces longues périodes d’expérimentation l’ont amenée à pratiquer en parallèle, de manière plus spontanée, la musique, la vidéo et la performance. En 1998, elle forme avec l’artiste Kevin Morrison le collectif Wasteband, fusionnant musique expérimentale, vidéo, performance, manifeste et collaborations. À partir de 2008, elle commence à Berlin de nouveaux projets de vidéos et de performances sonores suivant différents protocoles. La pièce sonore “Elbow in C” continue d’évoluer après avoir été présentée dans de nombreux festivals tel que le "Mad" à La maison rouge à Paris ou au festival Fluxus Blago Bung à la Fondation Emily Harvey à New-York. Pour la pièce “Piano Stripe” jouée à 36 mains, Zabo a créé un ensemble de 18 performers, musiciens, professionnels ou sans pratique musicale. Cette piece à été présentée entre autres aux Beaux Arts de Paris lors de la 68eme édition de Jeune création.
Son premier vinyle “Watewah-Sleeping Odyssey” est sorti en 2020 sur le label “Grautag records”.