HELENA ZAY

HOLDING LIGHT - Nature & Landscape Photography Exhibition

In the summer of 2015, I embarked on a solo road trip across America. I packed my car with all of my belongings and left my hometown without a timeline. I thought I might settle down in a new town or city if one felt right, though my primary goals were to connect with people and to explore the vast and diverse landscapes of this country. 

I had a loose idea of places I wanted to visit, but I spent a good amount of time without a map, following roads to wherever they would take me. Most nights, I slept in my car at truck stops or in National Forests where I could camp for free. 

I intentionally wanted to do this trip alone, to feel completely free in my existence. Each day, I was amazed by the beauty and mystery of what I was encountering and while on my own, I felt present in these landscapes.

When I took these photographs, my aim was to create an impression of place that would resonate with the viewer beyond it’s “prettiness.” I wanted to connect with my surroundings in order to tell a story. Power lines, desert flowers, a wisp of clouds above a moonlit birch grove - these are all characters in a universal drama. We see these characters as secondary to ourselves, usually. But it is within these landscapes that the oldest stories are found. It is where we witness the infinite and the ephemeral becoming one. 

Each photograph represents one perspective during a brief moment in time, though each viewer may imagine their own story residing in its shadows, colors, and shapes. It is my hope that these photographs inspire adventurous thought, as we contemplate our own paths within the greater story of the universe.

Helena Zay is an artist and curator from Hillsdale, NY. She has been the Artistic Director of Lightforms Art Center since its opening in 2019.