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John Divola

John Divola, N34°11.965'W115°54.308' (detail), 1995–1998, printed 2011

Between 1995 and 1998, John Divola made a series of photographs of isolated houses in the desert approximately 150 miles east of Los Angeles. He has said that although initially drawn to the striking color and light found in these desert vistas, his primary motivation was “to create images which are iconographic of a desire. A desire to be ‘beyond,’ a desire to be alone—a sign of man on the landscape.”

In October 2018, photographers Divola and Anthony Hernandez took part in a conversation at Sheldon on their shared interest in depicting remote and abandoned spaces in pursuit of the contemporary landscape. Toby Jurovics, Joslyn Art Museum’s Chief Curator and Richard & Mary Holland Curator of American Western Art, moderated the discussion.