Joshua Jensen-Nagle | Dreams I Never Forgot
Joshua Jensen-Nagle | Dreams I Never Forgot
350 Dundas Street West, Toronto
November 6-20, 2021
Bau-Xi Gallery is pleased to present Dreams I Never Forgot, an exhibition of photographs by acclaimed artist Joshua Jensen-Nagle.
Exploring his perspectives on the past year and a half, Jensen-Nagle explains;
"Travel is my lust. It is not my love. Love is passion and compassion. I have no compassion for travel. Airports, customs, carnets, delays, planes, trains, boats and helicopters. All complications in my world. Headaches and time. Delaying me on my journey. Once at my destination though, it all clears away. Focus and determination set in. Anxiety and excitement take over as my subject matter is now before me. Now to work – Light – Angles – Composition – Waiting – Waiting – Waiting. The right moment will appear. It does. Relief, confidence and exhilaration wash over me, but it’s fleeting. Time to move again… more travel.
Over the past 18 months, I haven’t been able to travel. The world seemed to invite stillness as the pandemic took hold. I slowed. Our studio shut down briefly. We stayed home more. I made pizza, baked bread, played chess, drank wine, had fires in my backyard, rehomed a puppy, retreated to the beach along Lake Erie, rehomed a second puppy and was grateful that I never became sick. Nor did my loved ones. Travel was no longer a part of my normal everyday life. Reflection on travel was still there. Unsure how it now made me feel.
These works were photographed pre-pandemic. Never worked on. Looking back at them and the memories they filled me with was like a big hug. Showing this collection has made me rethink how I feel. TRAVEL. Maybe, I do love you.
And so, that is what this body of work is to me. It’s our passion and compassion. It’s our lust for faraway places that exist in our memories and dreams. It’s the beauty of us connecting with other people and nature. We all need this connection and it has been awhile since we could experience it in the same way we used to. Time will tell if “normal” will ever return, but for now, we have these photographs to remind us of Dreams and Love and Lust… and TRAVEL."
