GAIA
This series, still in progress, takes its name from the hypothesis by James Lovelock and Lynn Margulis which describes Earth as a single superorganism in which living beings and the rest of the planet establish a self-regulating equilibrium that ensures the survival of the whole.
In this work, diptychs are formed by juxtaposing two photographs of natural scenes in my local environment. These images combine to create a third picture that fuses the two into a harmonious whole, transcending the simple sum of its parts, as described by Ralph Gibson with his “visual overtones.” This simple juxtaposition can create new and balanced realities, sometimes surreal or dreamlike.
The images aim to remind us of the need to re-establish the connection with nature, neglected for too long, and to feel a responsible part of this marvellous gear once again to ensure the survival of our planet.
"These are masterly diptychs. Each image is remarkable in its own right - the lighting, cropping, the attentiveness to many fine details, the wonders of nature - all of these qualities come through. And when two images are paired so thoughtfully, with such visual grace, the sense of wonder and awe expands and delights even more intensely as the visual echoes reverberate."
Jim Casper (Editor-in-Chief & Co-Founder of LensCulture )
"Visually poetic and quietly powerful, the Gaia series by Jaume Llorens demonstrates the connection between art and science. This series explores the notion of "Earth as a single superorganism", but through an artistic lens."
Deborah Klochko (Museum of Photographic Arts, San Diego, California)
"In this series, Llorens observes earth as a “single organism in which living beings and the land itself establish a self-regulating equilibrium.” His pairing of images brings this concept to life. In his diptychs, Llorens merges plants and animals to create strange but poetic new beings. There are flowers that grow roots in the form of spider webs and blossoms that flock together like birds. There is a dark, but beautiful disorientation that occurs in his images. There is no day or night, no up or down. Ocean waves crash upwards, bursting into small blossoms that twinkle like stars against the black sky. A cloud appears to float in inky soil underground and above it; the skeletal branches of a tree reach up into the sky."
Mia Dalglish (Life Framer Series Award juror and Co-Curator at Pictura Gallery).
AWARDS
LensCulture Critics' Choice 2023, Top Pick
Photolucida Critical Mass 2023, Top 50
IX Life Framer Series Award Finalist
LensCulture Black & White Awards 2024, Finalist
