Untitled. Barents Sea, Norway. 2010 by Andres Gonzalez
"Traveling, it makes you lonely, then gives you a friend; it leaves you speechless, then turns you into a storyteller; it gives you a home in a thousand strange places, then leaves you a stranger in your own land." Ibn Battuta, the great 14th-century Moroccan scholar and traveler, said these words about traveling. 700 years later, despite the vast social changes and technological advancements, traveling, at least the essence of it, remains much the same to us. Unlike 700 years ago, however, the invention of the camera has completely changed the documentation of traveling. It was far away from his Californian hometown, out in the Namibian desert, where contender Andres Gonzalez found his love for photography over a decade ago.
Untitled. Tsagaan Nuur, Mongolia. 2010 by Andres Gonzalez
Many trips and photographs later, Gonzalez has been named one of PDN's 30 to watch, was granted a Fulbright Fellowship, was shortlisted for a New York Photo Award and has shot for publications such as Newsweek, Monocle, W and Wallpaper. Although he now calls the incredibly multicultural Istanbul home, the fascination with traveling to far away places and the desire to hit the road have not faded for Gonzalez, as evident in his statement for the series Somewhere:
The passenger steps onto the overcast deck and remembers a line. "Soft was the sun." The wind to his back, he is facing the stern and an endless trail of thoughts drifting away from him towards the horizon. He wants no words, only to enjoy the delicate anticipation of a moment waiting to reveal itself. What are the limits of language? This is the mind, felt, not spoken. He makes a photograph of a seagull, and does not resist the emotion that brings. There is a town passing by on the starboard side of the ship, the mind-boggling, awe-inspiring, crazy-making, world of people. He is happy for the distance, but knows that any idea of separation is only an illusion. Everything exists according to the laws of nature. There is a core, it seems. The sea turns grey for a moment, the lights from the town slowly dimming, overtaken by fog. He makes another photograph of the fading light, the soft presence of time. The ship begins to slow, ahead a port, and another journey.
Untitled. Khovsgol, Mongolia. 2010 by Andres Gonzalez
The images in the series are just as poetic as Gonzalez's words. Like Gonzalez's partner Carolyn Drake said about the "Boy with Axe" image, the mystery in these images is captivating. As with all mysteries, there is something very interpretive about Gonzalez's images. At the same time, there is a very quiet quality to them, as if each image is a secret that is being whispered into the viewer's ears, and no exchange of words is necessary.
Keep up with Gonzalez on his blog, where he posts news and his latest photos.