Ensenada
Artist Teresa Zinser Wins First Place at XV Bienal Plástica
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by connie ellig; photos by david hopps & connie ellig
 After
premiering in Mexicali and Tijuana, Ensenada was the third stop on the
statewide tour of the XV Bienal Plástica
de Baja California, an art exposition that showcases the most
outstanding paintings, drawings and sculptures created by Baja California
artists between November 2003 and October 2005. Sponsored by the state
government through the Instituto de Cultura de Baja California (ICBC),
the XV Bienal Plástica visual arts competition received a total
of 352 entries submitted by 85 resident artists, of which 57 works were
selected for exhibition: 37 paintings, 13 drawings and 7 sculptures.
In the category of painting, Teresa Zinser
of Ensenada received the first place award and a prize of $50,000 pesos
for her colorful acrylic and sand on wood diptych, “Union I.” A second
diptych, “Union II,” was selected for exhibition. Second place was awarded
to “3 Superiores,” a triptych by Alida Cervantes of Tijuana; third place
went to “Lávate los Dientes,” oil on canvas by Fernando Corona of
Mexicali.
In the discipline of sculpture, Ismael Castro of Mexicali won the first
place award and a prize of $50,000 pesos for his “Licuadora.” In the drawing
division, Enrique Ciapara of Tijuana obtained first place and $50,000 pesos
for his works “Las Cosas y las Sombras,” “Alquímico” and “Detritus.”
Second and third place, respectively, was awarded to “Arqueología:
Crónica de un Crimen” by José Hugo Sánchez of Tijuana
and “El Caso Extraño en la Aduana” by Pablo Castañeda of
Mexicali.
Although the XV Bienal Plástica opened on March 17, 2006 in Ensenada’s
Galería de la Ciudad, the official reception for Teresa Zinser and
other local artists chosen for exhibition did not occur until the evening
of March 31. In front of an enthusiastic crowd, Josefina Zavala, representative
of Ensenada’s Instituto de Cultura de Baja California (ICBC), and Heberto
Peterson, director of Ensenada’s Casa de la Cultura, presented diplomas
of recognition to Zinser and fellow selectees Juan Sebastián Beltrán,
Enrique Avilez, Salvador Vilchez, José Carillo Cedillo, Jaime Brambila,
Elizabeth Odoñez and Aron Dantes. Afterwards, the a cappella ensemble
“Fase Vocal,” directed by Tomás Acosta, provided entertainment.
A radiant Teresa Zinser was moved to tears as she embraced Josefina
Zavala several times throughout the evening. “My very first exhibition
in 2001 was held right here at Galería de la Ciudad,” she explained.
“Josefina has encouraged me constantly, through good times and bad, and
this first place honor is not only for me, but for her too.”
 Raised
in Guadalajara, Teresa Zinser moved to Ensenada in 1977 at the age of nineteen.
In Ensenada, she was able to follow her love of the ocean and continue
her studies, obtaining a degree in Oceanology and completing Master’s courses
in Marine Ecology. Since childhood Teresa had a keen interest in art, taking
various drawing, painting, and ceramics classes in Mexico, the United States
and the United Kingdom. In her early thirties, she decided that art was
the “road to follow,” a decision that led to three and a half years at
the San Carlos Academy of Art in Mexico City where she obtained her Master's
in the Visual Arts (Painting).
During the past twenty years Teresa has traveled throughout North, Central
and South America, and also the Caribbean, Europe, Middle East and part
of the Pacific. A large amount of this traveling was aboard ship with her
husband, Welsh sea captain Richard Hawkins. During her voyages, Teresa
became obsessed with ship parts – engines, chains, anchors, etc. – and
developed a unique style of painting metal parts in an organic, sensual
manner. Her experiences and observations combine with her passion for Mexico
and its colors, which are reflected in her art.
Due to extensive travel, Teresa did not begin showing her work until
2001, when her first individual exposition was held in Ensenada’s Galería
de la Ciudad. In that same year, she was awarded third place in the painting
division of the XIII Bienal Plástica de Baja California and also
was selected by the Bienal de Artes Plásticas del Noroeste for exhibition
in Sonora, Sinaloa, Nayarit, Baja California and Baja California Sur.
 In
2003, Teresa’s home and studio – and most of her paintings that were not
on exhibition in galleries – were destroyed in a wildfire that swept through
San Antonio de las Minas. Drawing strength from adversity, Teresa regrouped
and began a new body of work entitled “Anclas (Anchors)” which premiered
in October 2004 at the Galería de la Ciudad.
In addition to one-woman shows, Teresa has participated in numerous
collective expositions in places like Ensenada’s Museo Histórico
Regional, Museo del Puerto, Galería La Esquina de Bodegas, El Bado,
Origenes, and Hotel Coral y Marina. To view or purchase her works, contact
her at (646)187-3028, cell tel. (646)185-1513 or e-mail
The XV Bienal Plástica de Baja California Art Exposition was
on display in Ensenada until April 24, 2006 at Galería de la Ciudad
in the Instituto de Cultura de Baja California, located in the northern
end of the Riviera Cultural Center on Blvd. Costero.
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