Jungle Check

A collaboration with Cristina de Middel exploring memory, time, and the unstable nature of photographic evidence. Drawing on a collection of anonymous Mexican Polaroids as source material, the project creates a series of diptychs in which past and present images overlap, inhabiting a space between reconstruction and invention.

Vintage polaroid of a VW Beetle car parked on the street in front of a building with small square windows
View of a reflection through a VW beetle vehicle window showing trees and a chain-link fence with sunlight reflecting off it.
Vintage polaroid of a VW Beetle car with two starfish decorations on the bonnet.
A man standing outdoors in front of a wooden structure with a beige tarp and wooden planks, wearing a white shirt and layered necklaces, with a yellow glittery star decoration hanging nearby.
Vintage polaroid with orange cast showing a close-up of many small shells.
A young clown is lying down on a table, covered in colourful confetti, with additional confetti scattered on the ground.
Vintage polaroid of a long, straight rural road with utility poles and power lines running alongside. The sky is partly cloudy with fluffy clouds, and the photograph has a warm tone with orange cast.
Multiple white and gray pearls suspended underwater near a rocky surface.
Vintage polaroid of jungle trees with orange cast.
A dense collection of cactus and palm leaves with some pink flowers, with a semi-transparent bluish overlay.
Vintage polaroid of a person standing on a giant pile of seaweed by the ocean, orange and pink cast with missing emulsion.
A person with long, blonde hair from a home on a white sandy beach, the ocean in the backgroung, with a clear blue sky overhead.
Vintage polaroid of a beach scene with large rocks, sandy shore, and a cliff with trees in the background.
View from inside a deep turquoise cave showing textured walls and a small opening at the top with light shining through.
Vintage polaroid of a large model of a shark appearing above a building near power poles, pink and orange cast.
A whale-shark emerging from the ocean water amidst gentle waves under a partly cloudy sky.
Vintage polaroid of a dirt road with trees on both sides, leading to a building or structure in the background, with a faded, washed-out appearance.
A large wave crashing onto the sandy shore under a sparsely cloudy sky.
Vintage polaroid of a mangey dog walking on a street, with pink and orange cast.
Close-up of a small black dog with its mouth open, showing teeth, and ears back, looking up against a plain light background.
Vintage polaroid showing two flamingoes taking flight over a body of water, with tree branches in the foreground.
A pink flamingo lawn ornament is bent over, with its head on the ground, standing on a green base in front of a stone wall.
Vintage polaroid close-up of a large iguana, with a pink and orange cast.
A mirrored man with exaggerated fish eyes wearing a black cap, at the beach with the ocean and cloudy sky in the background.
Vintage polaroid of the back of a big cat, possibly a leopard or jaguar in a jungle setting, with orange cast.
A tiger swimming in water, with rocks above.
Vintage polaroid of a pastel-colored fluffy clouds, with a gradient sky background.
Foam on the edge of a body of water resembling clouds.
Vintage polaroid of a dirt road with power lines and trees, featuring a large rectangular empty billboard.
A rural road sign in Spanish that reads, 'No deje piedras en el camino,' meaning 'Do not leave stones on the road,' with a rural setting, trees, utility pole, and cloudy sky in the background.
An art installation with a background of jungle scenery and hanging framed photos, including a portrait of a person with an expressive facial expression. The floor appears to be worn, with a mix of vintage and contemporary design elements.
Art installation depicting a lush jungle scene with large trees and tropical foliage, featuring five framed images of jungle scenes on the background wall.
A gallery wall with framed photographs and artwork on a distressed white wall.
An art gallery with various paintings on a weathered, stained wall. Visible paintings include a portrait of a person with googly eyes at a beach, a silhouette of a person hanging from a rope, and some abstract artworks, with a floral mural on an adja
Art gallery with photographs and paintings on a distressed wall, including an upside-down person hanging from a chair, a person swimming with a cat, and couple of other abstract images.
An art exhibit featuring various photographs and paintings on a textured wall. Visible artworks include a woman hanging upside down with her arms stretched upward, a landscape of a dry field with a small animal in the distance, a tiger swimming in wa
An art installation featuring wooden slats forming a surface with a lion's face printed on one of the slats. The installation is inside a room with wooden flooring, and the background includes vertical wooden panels and ceiling lights.
Two framed landscape photographs hanging on a light green wall, one with a sky and desert scene, the other also depicting a nature scene, both with vertical wooden frames.
A framed digital artwork of a young man and a horse is seen behind vertical wooden slats, with a dark wall featuring white zebra and other animal outlines in the background.
A room with a light green wall decorated with multiple landscape photographs and artwork. The floor is wooden, and there is a partial view of a partition or divider.
An art gallery with a tropical-themed mural on a curved wall, featuring framed orange and yellow abstract artworks. The gallery has a worn, rustic interior with peeling paint, exposed ceiling pipes, and a vintage carpet on the floor.
An art gallery display featuring various photographs, including a man on the beach with googly eyes, a girl jumping, and a large wall mural of dense tree branches with green and purple leaves.
Gallery wall with framed photographs and artwork, including a portrait of a man with googly eyes at a beach, and an outdoor scene with orange tint and trees with white bubbles.
Gallery wall with various framed artworks including ocean waves, a person playing with water, a smiling man, and abstract images in an art gallery with wooden flooring and aged, peeling paint walls.
Gallery wall displaying various framed photographs and artworks in different sizes, arranged on a white wall in an art gallery.
An artistic installation featuring a large, folded paper or fabric artwork with a bicycle image, illuminated from above, in a gallery setting.
An art gallery with photographs of animals. The foreground features a framed photo of a dog with vertical blinds, and the background displays other animal images on the wall.
An art gallery room with two framed artworks on cream-colored wall, a large window with wooden frame, and a white radiator below the window. The room has wood flooring and appears softly lit.
An art display on a green wall with a large black-and-white photograph of the ocean with waves and a sunset, and a smaller abstract artwork with orange glass.
An art gallery display with a folding partition wall featuring a patterned wallpaper of white elephants on a gray background. Two framed artworks hang on the wall, one large and one small.
A framed artwork of a boy riding a horse at the beach, with the image portrayed as if seen through vertical wooden slats.
Art gallery with paintings on light green walls and a central artist's display panel
An art gallery with various landscape and abstract paintings on pastel-colored walls, large windows, and wooden floors.

 Jungle Check installation for Festival Images, Vevey, Switzerland, 2018. © Diana Martin

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© Kalev Erickson