2021 – A Gut A Lake A Cell A Sky by Erin Jane Nelson

Erin Jane Nelson’s practice is grounded in photography sourced from her personal archive of found and original images. She often works serially, with each project delving into new conceptual frameworks as far ranging as regional histories of the Southern barrier islands, formative personal relationships, spirituality as a process of mourning and healing, and science fiction narratives. Through speculative world-building, layering everyday materials, and historical research, her work broadly explores the psychological impact of the climate crisis through a feminist lens. Raised in the American South and based in Atlanta, Nelson travels throughout the region to photograph her surroundings and lived experiences. She intuitively merges these images onto unexpected support structures—including silk, hand-crafted quilts, panels, and ceramics inspired by vernacular craft objects and the history of collage—their multiple references engaging the nuanced anxiety, conflict, and humor of the present and immediate future.