José Diniz
Selected Works
September 1–October 2, 2016
For many years, Brazilian photographer José Diniz has been swimming and photographing along the coast of South America, capturing dreamlike black-and-white images of the ocean and the people and vessels found within it. Blue Sky exhibited three of Diniz’s water-focused series together—Deriva, featuring unmanned small boats drifting among the waves; Divers, photographs of individuals who explore the depths of the sea; and Ensayo Sobre Otro Mar, a formal study of the ocean’s movement and the landscape surrounding it. All of the images are shot with the camera partially submerged in water, creating a uniquely immersive experience.
José Diniz was born in Niterói, Brazil, and currently lives in Rio de Janeiro, where he studied photography at Cândido Mendes University. Diniz has exhibited at venues throughout South America, at the Photovisa Festival in Russia, and at FotoFest in Houston, Texas. His photographs are housed in private collections and at the Museum of Modern Art in Rio de Janeiro and the Museum of Contemporary Art of Porto Alegre in Brazil; the Museum of Contemporary Art in Salta and the Provincial Museum of Fine Arts in San Juan, Argentina; the Lehig University Art Galleries in Pennsylvania; and the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston. In 2014, Diniz published Periscope (Editora Madalena/ Terceiro), a compilation of images from multiple series by the artist.