Layered Landscapes: The Photographic Art of Jenny Okun by Jenny Okun
Introductions by Michael Webb and Craig Krull
Okun,
who we’ve come to know for her multiple-exposure images of architecture, now
turns her camera and computer toward landscapes of the world. Considering
herself a “painter,” she uses her photos as raw material to create images of
either ambiguous settings (is it the sky or the sea?) or distinctly fabricated
worlds. At first look, it’s not immediately apparent that the images are
constructed, but there is something surreal about them that makes you do a
double take. These are not science-fiction fantasies; they could almost be
real. Introductions by prolific design writer Michael Webb and Okun’s gallerist
Craig Krull accompany her essay, which outlines the process by which she
creates her tableaux. Reflecting on the images are mini-essays and quotes by a
remarkable range of creative professionals—composers, writers, filmmakers, designers,
artists, comedians—some of whom Okun knows personally. I looked back on Okun’s previous
book of architectural work and noted that the difference between the
architecture images made in camera and the landscape images created in the
computer was more than the method. These layered landscapes are more immersive
and expansive, magical and surreal, and create spaces for the viewer to dream.
