JUNO Healthcare Staffing of New York, the H&WB Corporation in Mandaluyong City, and the Alpha Phi Beta Chancery in Quezon City are sponsoring jointly “The Zen of White Sands”, a solo photography exhibition by, Carlos L. Esguerra, an internationally awarded Filipino fine arts photographer from New York. Esguerra returns to the Philippines hoping to duplicate his highly successful exhibition at the Intercontinental Manila and the Ayala Museum in 2006.

The photography exhibition will run from April 11-25, 2008 at Artistree Fine Arts Gallery, Arts Plaza (4th Level), EDSA Shangri-La Plaza Mall in Ortigas Center, Mandaluyong City. Opening reception is on April 11 at 6:00pm.

“The Zen of White Sands” highlights selected images created from 2002 to 2007 at White Sands National Monument near the town of Alamogordo in New Mexico.

White Sands is a magical place. An area of 275 square miles of desert in the heart of Tularosa Basin, it is the largest pure gypsum dune field in the world. Photographing those wave-like sand dunes, alone, in all its pristine whiteness, is almost a religious experience. The tenacity of those yucca plants to thrive and grow in such harsh desert condition is a tribute to the resolve and determination of all living things to overcome life’s adversities. Esguerra’s artistry transformed the harsh desert condition into stunning photographic images that have won him numerous awards.

The exhibition includes images from the series that won Third Prize in the recently concluded 2007 Prix de la Photographie Paris (Px3) in Paris, France. It also includes images that received the most number of awards from the more than 40 he had received worldwide since 1999, the year Esguerra rediscovered his passion for photography. These awards include:

· PSA Best of Show Gold Medal, 2007 4th Veitshoechheimer Foto Salon, Bavaria, Germany
· PSA Best of Show Gold Medal, 2006 3rd Swabian International, Kirchheim/Teck, Germany
· Best of Show, Small Works 2005, Manhattan Arts International, New York, NY
· Best of Show, Salmagundi Club 2005 Exhibition by Non-members, New York, NY
· Best of Show, Salmagundi Club 2003 Exhibition by Non-members, New York, NY
· Silver Medal, 2004 Hasselblad Austrian Super Circuit, Linz, Austria
· Top Ten Winner, 2004 Image International, Photo Life, Toronto, Canada
· Honorable Mention, 2004 International Photography Awards, Los Angeles, CA
· Honorable Mention, 2004 Annual Contest, Popular Photography and Imaging, New York, NY
· 4th Prize, 2003 National Juried Exhibition, Washington Gallery of Photography, Bethesda, MD