Soft Cover First Edition 2021: 130 Pages
ISBN: 978-99931-975-2-2

SILENTIUM is Zia’s first book, a beautifully designed monograph curating the works of his first 12-years in fine art photography with more than 50 photographs that reflect his love for waterscape and landscape.

The images captivate viewers through silent wonder “to escape the confines of our daily life, to be free, in an undemanding expanse of light, in harmony with a nature which is romantic and beautiful”(Martin Kennedy). The book is an invitation into a place where silence is imposed, arousing a viewers’ imagination and reverie.

From the human-less composition of trees and foliage on Seychelles beaches, the calm and misty lochs of Scotland, to the timeless and eerie tropical forests, SILENTIUM is an
enchanting journey and transcendent experience of photography.

 

“The photographs of Zia Manji, in their simplicity and attention to detail, cannot just be looked at, they demand contemplation. It’s one thing to be a master technician in terms of tonal range and composition, which Zia clearly is. It is quite another to live up to the dictum of the legendary early 20th-century master Paul Strand, who wrote, “If the photographer is not a discoverer, then he is not an artist.” Zia finds a remarkable amount of meaning in what he trains his eye and lens on. In an era where the banality of the ubiquitous digital photograph has rendered itself almost meaningless, these photographs take the medium back to its most pristine and sublime representational powers. A real pleasure…. “

 

David Blumenkrantz,
Professor, Department of Journalism
California State University Northridge

 

“Zia is a true master of photography . He has an artistic eye , using light to great advantage with patience and simplicity and the results speak for themselves as they are magnificent . “
 

Arvind Vohora
Director, Circle Art Gallery  Photographer

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“Before ever snapping the shutter, Zia Manji allows himself to be guided by his own emotions deeply into a visual space. As a result, his images invite you into evocative reverie, and open a gentle pathway to connection with yourself.”

 

Elizabeth Florent Treacy
Senior Lecturer and Thesis Director,
INSEAD