BIOGRAPHY

For over 25 years Phil Borges has been visiting and documenting people of indigenous and tribal cultures around the world. His images tap deeply into the human spirit of his subjects. Through his various exhibits, books and educational programs, he strives to promote cultural diversity.

Phil's riveting portraits have been the subject of over 80 museum and gallery solo exhibits worldwide and is included in numerous museum and private collections. His award winning books have been published in four languages and in 1998 he was presented the Photo Media Magazine "Photoperson of the Year" award. His first book TIBETAN PORTRAIT: The Power of Compassion (Rizzoli 96), is in it's 5th printing and his exhibit and book ENDURING SPIRIT was selected by Amnesty International for the global celebration of the 50th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Phil's most recent book, THE GIFT documents the work of Interplast, an organization that provides free reconstructive surgery for children in developing countries. Photographed in Peru and Vietnam, THE GIFT is helping Interplast celebrate 30 years of service to children around the world.

Phil's current project focuses on the people of selected indigenous cultures and their relationship to the natural world. The exhibit and soon to be released book also explores the individuals in these cultures who mediate the spiritual relationship between the community and the environment -- the people we in the West refer to as shamans.

Phil is the founder/director of BRIDGES an online classroom program connecting children from indigenous and tribal cultures with their urban contemporaries for the purpose of exploring and preserving cultural diversity. Phil teaches and lectures internationally and is co-founder of Blue Earth Alliance, a 501c3 that sponsors photographic projects focusing on endangered cultures and threatened environments. He lives with his family in Seattle.

Selected Solo Exhibits
- 2002 Exploris Museum, Raleigh, North Carolina
- 2001 Edward Carter Gallery, New York, N Y.
- 2001 Cesano Maderno, Milan, Italy
- 2000 Galerie D'Art Contemporain, Luxembourg
- 2000 Centro Cultural Recoleta, Buenos Aires, Argentina
- 2000 National Gallery of the Grand Cayman Islands, British W.I.
- 2000 Kulturernas Museum, Helsinki, Finland
- 1999 Kunsthal Museum, Rotterdam, Netherlands
- 1998 White House, Washington, D.C.
- 1998 Tasende Gallery, Los Angeles, CA.
- 1998 Trinity Gallery, Atlanta, GA.
- 1998 Studio Gallery, San Francisco, CA.
- 1998 Albuquerque Museum, NM.
- 1997 Whyte Museum, Banff, Alberta, Canada
- 1997 Kathleen Ewing Gallery, Washington D.C. 20009
- 1997 Diane Farris Gallery, Vancouver, BC.
- 1997 Museum of History and Industry, Seattle, WA.
- 1996 Locus Gallery, St. Louis, MO.
- 1996 Lowinsky Gallery, New York, NY.
- 1996 Camera Obscura Gallery, Denver, CO.
- 1996 G. Ray Hawkins Gallery, Santa Monica, CA.
- 1996 Alexandra Palace, London, England
- 1996 Cannon Rotunda, Washington D.C.
- 1995 Photographic Image, Portland, OR.
- 1992 Silver Image Gallery, Seattle, WA.
- 1991 Benham Gallery, Seattle, WA.

Permanent Collections
- Los Angeles County Art Museum, Los Angeles, CA.
- Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, TX.
- Museum of Photographic Arts, San Diego, CA.
- Denver Art Museum, Denver, CO.
- Portland Art Museum, Portland, OR.
- Portland Museum of Art, Portland, ME.

Awards
- 1998 Photo Media Magazine - Photographer of the Year
- 1996 Banff Mountain Book Festival - Best Book on Mountain Images
- 1996 Seattle Transcendence Competition - First Place
- 1995 Society of Professional Journalists - Annual Award of Excellence
- 1994 Society of Professional Journalists - Annual Award of Excellence
- 1993 Annual Report (National Medical Enterprises) - Silver Advocate
- 1992 Advertising Photographers of America - Award of Merit
- 1989 Pacific NW Media Inc. - Person of the Year, Photography