Biography
I was born in Budapest, Hungary a long time ago. My father is a colorist-turned-winemaker, my mother a pharmacist, though both of them are retired now. I also have an older sister Saci, she paints on human faces. When I turned 19, my father wanted me to be a colorist, but I rather played pool, and ride my bmx. It was around this time that I started to develop a budding interest for photography. From the beginning, it made me excited that the camera not only immortalized the details of images, but also helped me to recall my personal feelings present at the moment of taking the picture. Photography appeared to me as emotionally charged. Once I understood how to manipulate, tame and use these emotions residing in the image, I started to work on photo assignments in Budapest. After a few years of self-education and training, I decided to move to milan, and introduce my work to a wider audience. During this time on a trip back to Budapest I met Nelli, the most beautiful and intelligent woman ever, and I couldn't help but fall in love. She became my best friend, my partner in crime, and of course my wife. We moved to New York in 2011, then after 9 years of joy and struggles, we finally returned home to Hungary. Taking pictures is an everyday necessity for me, and I easily move between my commissions and personal projects as photography is an organic part of my life. Photography is a meditation and a tool to understand myself better, and as such an indispensable particle of my life.
supernationmag.com
Supernation is an annual bookazine, a crossover between a photo book and a magazine that holds my own fine art series. The sixth issue published this year collects the story of such emotions like closeness, isolation, insecurity or futurelessness as visual metaphors. Due to the events of the past year, we have necessarily asked ourselves questions about what can be eliminated from our lives and what is irreplaceable. We have had to restructure and create a new, more adaptable set of values to see which of them are real which of them are not. This series is a quiet meditation along an unexpected episode of our lives, where I am looking mainly for myself in the chaos. Though, I don't offer any solutions, I have many questions to ask.
Exhibitions
solo
2019 Homeward - Société Budapest
2011 Absolutly - Stock Exchange Palace - Vaci 1, Budapest
2009 Mode Hongroise at the Hungarian Institute in Paris
shared
2021 I Whisper to My Past, Do I have Another Choice - Einspach Fine Art & Photography Gallery, Budapest
2021 The 17th Bátor Tábor Contemporary Art Auction - Société Budapest
2021 Dialogue on the Experience of Architecture / Dialog uber das Erleben von Architektur - Duo exhibition with dr.Ralph Fisher - Hungarian Cultural Institute Stuttgart
2020 Bodyscape - Kiscelli Museum Budapest
2020 Art for act - UNICEF - Brody House Budapest
2018 #QOL - The quality of life - Artless Gallery Tokyo, Japan
2018 Adam and Eve charity auction in aid of Cancer Research UK - London, England
2017 Oltre Roma - Balassi Institute - Rome, Italy
2016 Beyond the foreground - Museum Garda, Ivrea, Italy
2015 Premio Cramum - Italian Institute of Culture, Budapest
2014 Premio Cramum - Isimbardi Palace, Milan
2011 Artkatakomba Gallery, Budapest
2010 "World of fashion in photography - yesterday and today", Hungarian National Museum, Budapest
2010 Martin Munkacsi "Think while you shoot" - Press catalogue - Ludwig Museum, Budapest
2009 27th Hungarian Press Photo Exhibition - Hungarian National Museum, Budapest
Public Collections
Hungarian Museum of Photography
Achievements
2019 Circle Foundation - Art Expo NYC - Excellence award
2018 CICFF - Calcutta International Cult Film Festival - Official selection
2018 Monochrome Awards - Portrait of Alicia Keys - Shortlisted
2017 IPA - Int'l Photography Awards - Official selection
2015 LICC - London International Creative Competition - Shortlisted
2012 New York Photo Awards - "Poor Celine" - Finalist
2012 LeBook Connections London - Official selection of the jury
2012 New York Film Festival - "Poor Celine" - Official selection
2012 Sao Paulo Fashion Video Festival - "Axis Mundi" is invited
2011 International Fashion Video Festival Budapest - 1st prize
2010 International Fashion Video Festival Budapest - 3rd prize
2009 Prix De La Photographie Paris - Shortlisted
2009 27th Hungarian Press Photo - 3rd prize
Books
monographies
Light Therapy - Zoltán Tombor, Márton Simon - Darkroom Publishing 2021.
Supernation - Homeward - Barbara Palvin - Supernation Publishing 2019
Supernation - Kinga - Supernation Publishing 2018
Supernation - Lara and Ling - Supernation Publishing 2017
Supernation - Giedre, Cato and Aliz - Supernation Publishing 2016
Supernation - Vanessa - Supernation Publishing 2015
publications
Tuscany Marvel by Cesare Cunaccia - Assouline - 2021
Isolated - Bookart and the New Kriterion Gallery - 2021
The Kinfolk Garden Book - Artisan Books 2020
Reiauto no kyokasho - Layout textbook - SB Creative 2019
The Eye - Artisan Books 2018
A.F.Vandevorst - Ende Neu - Cannibal Publishing 2018
Kinfolk Enterpreneur - Artisan Books 2017
Lectures & talks
Budapest Metropolitan University
Corvinus University of Budapest
Fazekas Mihály High School Budapest
KREA Design School
Société Budapest
Budapest Photo Festival
Fotoklikk
My editorial work has been published in Vogue, The Last Magazine, Harper's Bazaar, Time, VMan, Sunday Times Style and Kinfolk magazine and my clients include Theory, DKNY, 3.1 Phillip Lim, Net-a-porter and John Lewis.
Art Residency
2020 Luppa Art Residency
Press
2021 punkt.hu
2021 roadster.hu
2020 24.hu
2020 punkt.hu
2019 index.hu
2019 mediapiac.com
2019 roadster.hu
Contact
For inquiries in the USA zoltan@tombor.com
For inquiries in the UK and Europe Darling Creative kim@darling-creative.com
For Worldwide Syndication - Trunk Archive licensing@trunkarchive.com