A Metaphysical Desert
Julien Lombardi explores a desert valley in central Mexico, which Huichol Indians believe to be the place where the world had its origin.
A screen in the desert at night, hands dissecting a cactus, spirited cows, invisible men. Julien Lombardi plays freely with the photographic medium to hint a the mystical energy of Wirikuta valley in central Mexico, visited every year by the Huichol Indians in a pilgrimage that honors the deities of the sun and fire.
The Huichol cosmology designates the valley as the place where the world had its origin, and the place is dense with natural and cultural resources. The photographer first works as a researcher, drawing from disciplines like ethnology and biology, then he bends the visual codes of science to create disorienting and fascinating images of magical realism.
“The Land where the Sun Was Born” by Julien Lombardi will be on view at the Croisière as part of
Arles Festival until August 28.
