El Chaltén is a village in the Los Glaciares National Park in Argentina. The remote park is home to 48 glaciers, with some trails starting from town. Photographer Alex Demets’s La Lenga Gallery is located in shops, restaurants and hotels in one of the main streets of El Chaltén.
Demets has managed the gallery for the past three years after traveling and photographing South America for the past six years and has presented his work in the past three years. Originally from the Midwest, Demets began traveling full-time, working on his photography career about a decade ago. Since then, he has completed only about twenty final images, almost all of which can only be viewed in person in his gallery, as he rarely shares with it on the internet.
In an interview with Glacierhub, Demets discusses his work to date, his artistic approach and upcoming plans. This is Demets’ first interview with his work.
This interview has been edited to be clear and concise.
After years of travel, what attracted you to the Patagonian glacier landscape of the La Lenga Gallery?
Obviously, it’s attractive to be located at the bottom of some of the most spectacular mountain scenery in the world. It also simplifies the logistics of running a photography journey, another branch of my business. I know that El Chaltén, which is different from Peru and Mexican destinations, has no art. Compared to many in the big city, this seems to be the only gallery in a small town. El Chaltén also had a long off-season – as a traveler, it was a plus because it made me travel for several months each year.
How do you choose the image you want to display in the gallery?
I mainly showcase work from South America. I want to showcase my most unique images and balance them from El Chaltén and other parts of the African continent to create a memorable gallery experience. My long-term vision is to make my gallery (i.e.) the place where people can see the most unique landscape in the continent in a few minutes.
You have named La Lenga Gallery the Indigenous Tree of Patagonia. Can you tell me more about how wood works in the introduction of photos?
Live wood frames are an extension of aesthetics in gallery. Contrast soft/line with rigid form/line. I introduce my work in unexpected ways. Rather than creating a white minimalist space, I tried to create a space that coordinates with the art.
Can you describe your creative process?
My creative process tends to be eliminated, and my goal is to highlight the unique reasons for each landscape rather than taking a cookie cut method to photograph them. My goal is to avoid creating the same image in different locations. I fuse elements together, such as dead trees, which are unique to a particular landscape. Dead Lenga trees provide curves, lines and textures, resulting in unique results.
For landscape images, it begins with reconnaissance of new areas. I might do five to 10 hikes before finding something unique. Once I found something I liked, I kept going back to it until I took a photo in the weather conditions I wanted. Usually, I will have to restore the image multiple times when I want a specific weather condition. For example, finding an ideal sky can tie the composition together, but it almost inevitably means repainting the scene multiple times. I usually know that when I reach a drop in return, the image is already done.
You have limited use of social media and only sell prints to face-to-face visitors. Why use this method to share your work?
I prefer to show my work only in galleries, partly because I feel differently about social media, partly because I prefer to view my photos at their expected size, which is huge. I want to see them in the frame of the gallery, because many things can affect the experience of the art. If I allow people to scroll through cropped versions of my images on a small screen, the experience I work hard to create is lost.
Social media is useful for marketing and running a business, but seems to be harmful to the creative process. A basic aspect of art is trying to create something original. Most art lovers want professional artists to create original works of art. However, on social media, a disappointingly high proportion of nature photographers has a portfolio of previously shot images. Call this art a range. It’s one thing to see this from amateur and hobby photographers, because copying is part of learning. But when one starts to profit from images that others originally created, it crosses the line.
Besides that, to meet the needs of Instagram algorithms, artists are forced to produce quantity of images rather than create quality images.
In a sense, by making my images harder to see (most people don’t see online – you have to walk in the gallery), those who see them appreciate them more. Just as people are willing to pay more for seeing live performances by artists they like rather than buying CDs, people appreciate art more in galleries.
What do you want the audience to take away from visiting your gallery?
As a traveler, I occasionally encounter businesses with a certain amount of energy. I think that energy comes from things like interior design, location, product quality and overall uniqueness. We don’t usually find all of this in businesses that maximize profits with major features, and even if they are polished and clean, they tend to feel universal.
It is necessary to create a space that feels magical, mysterious and primitive. I think people look at art and travel to feel these things.
Are you currently focusing on the gallery or are new projects forming?
I plan to close my gallery at El Chaltén at the end of the season. I will reopen in El Calafate, I plan to buy with two friends and open another gallery in Brazil.
My new gallery, because I will have them instead of rent, will be more elaborate. I plan to take a year away from Patagonia to save them and focus on new concept photography projects (although nature remains an element). They will blend photography styles. I love nature photography but think it can limit me to communicate as an artist.
Having spent nearly 10 years in South America, I wanted to focus on what I expressed in these upcoming projects, which has influenced the way I see the world – many cultures on the mainland and my journey of understanding and adaptation.
To see more about Alex Demets’ work or contact him, visit his Instagram @lalengaaartgallery.
