Jalen II
Series: We Love Where We Live
2017
With every print sold, Louise will donate an extra €10 to the Red Cross, in addition to Paper Pictures' donation.
Edition:
5x 28x42 cm
5x 38x57 cm
Printed on Hahnemühle Fine Art Baryta paper + 1 cm white border
Delivered with a numbered and digitally signed certificate of authenticity
McDowell County in West Virginia lies partially in the forested mountains of Appalachia and was once one of the wealthiest counties in America. Over time, it has fallen into economic decline and looks deserted in many places. Although the Appalachians form a closing border, they also act as a natural protective wall. It is a breathtaking area that offers warmth and security in its own way.
Louise Honée wondered what future prospects are still offered to the young people growing up in this area.
Somewhere along the road is a sign with the inscription We Love Where We Live. Fascinated by this apparent contradiction, Honée sought to explore young people's deep sense of individuality and their strong connection to the spaces they inhabit. By observing youth, listening to their stories and following their adventures with simplicity, Honée intertwined her journey with theirs. Each time, she was surprised by their warmth and openness, and strangers became her friends.
With this project, Honée turned her gaze to the forgotten America decimated by the demise of the mining industry. She shares a poetic, intimate and hopeful view of a young generation's relationship and connection to the environment in which they grew up.
We Love Where We Live was made from spring 2017 to fall 2019 and was awarded the Prix HSBC 2020.
Louise Honée, born in 1974 in Nijmegen, the Netherlands, discovered her passion for photography after finishing her studies History of Art at the University of Amsterdam. She continued her studies at the Photo Academy of Amsterdam and specialized in documentary photography. Since then Honée has worked as a portrait and documentary photographer. The main subject of her images is the indestructible hope of youth, capturing their fragility in all circumstances.
Always looking for the poetry in their stories, Louise Honée assembles her images into a visual novel in which the young people she meets play their own role. In her work, the photographer tries to understand how different identities are defined by and in the landscape and environment where children grow up.
In 2020 Honée became winner of the Prix HSBC pour la Photographie with the series We Love Where We Live. It resulted with a first monograph published by Atelier Éditions Xavier Barral.
We Love Where We Live is one of the main works that made her famous in France, where she has exhibited in many festivals and galleries.
Her work Double Roses was awarded the Prix Maison Blanche 2022. It delivers Honée's second book published by le Bec en l'air will be released from 15 September 2023.