Snapshots in the service of the persecuted and the forgotten

Born in former Czechoslovakia, Iva immigrated to Canada in 1982 and studied at the Institute of Photography at Dawson College and then continued her studies at Concordia University with a major in photography.

"I started shooting street photography in the early '90s and documenting people and realized I really enjoyed doing that," she reveals. Documenting people –especially people who were not always in the spotlight – became her primary goal.

In 1992, she was awarded the Canada Council Grant to photograph Czech minorities in Romania and in 1993 she received a grant to document native people of northern Quebec. In 1994, she was contracted by the Canadian International Development Agency to record aspects of every day life in Ukraine. Since then she has travelled to and exhibited her work in the Ukraine, China, Canada, Czech Republic, Ethiopia, Russia, Afghanistan, Georgia, United States and Mexico.

Iva uses her talent in the service of the persecuted and the forgotten: Indians, gypsies, refugees, orphans, and the deeply impoverished. Her camera does not condescend to pity her subjects, but humanizes their plight.

"I'm not a reporter who courageously records conflicts wherever they occur," she reveals. "In fact, I'm always scared before a trip, because I never know what the trip will be like, who I'll meet or where I'll sleep. I always carry my camera with me and if something interesting takes place, I shoot it.

Her stark black and white shots provide us with a wide spectrum of moments in people's lives. Iva's world is not seen through rose-coloured glasses; it's often a world of have-nots, of those down on their luck, of people just getting by, but there's a real sensitivity and compassion in the way that they're portrayed.

When asked what her favourite place to visit is, she replies without hesitation. "Afghanistan. The people and the landscape are just amazing! I can't believe that after 30 years of war and everything they've been through they are still so hospitable and so warm."

Iva's next trip might be to Moscow and then maybe Bulgaria to photograph travelling Gypsy nomads.

"I'm not really sure yet what my plans are," she says laughing. One thing is for sure, wherever her travels take her it's safe to say that her trusted camera will be by her side.

Spectrum of Moments by Iva Zimova will be on display at ConservArt (frame store and art gallery) 5649 Monkland Avenue until December 3. For more info, you can call 514-485-3543 or log on to: www.ivazimova.com.