Jimmy Nelson: Humanity

A selection of Jimmy Nelson's most sublime photographs highlighting the beauty of Indigenous peoples around the world

For British photographer Jimmy Nelson (born 1967), traveling is part of his artistic process. His journeys are similar to field expeditions, with lots of preparation and contingencies to take into account. They can last weeks, if not months. Nevertheless, Nelson has found this part of his work the most rewarding. His travels to remote or inaccessible locations have strengthened his conception of humanity as one entity: having originated from a singular source in Africa tens of thousands of years ago.
In Humanity, Nelson passionately shares why he uses his medium to replicate what he experiences in the field: when he finds alignment in nature and the people surrounding him. Nelson uses analog photography and 8x10 negatives to capture a symphony of experiences and a depth of emotions in his images. Through his spectacular landscapes and portraiture, his journey becomes our journey and Indigenous peoples, often photographed as an ethnographic subject, become the protagonists of a story of "unadulterated beauty" that empowers the beholders to perceive all humanity.