Artist: Jimmy Nelson

Patricia Low Contemporary presents Humanity, an exhibition by renowned photographer Jimmy Nelson, opening on May 7 to coincide with the Venice Architecture Biennale.

This exhibition brings together a selection of major works from Humanity, Nelson’s celebrated retrospective at the Palazzo Reale in Milan (2023). These powerful portraits mark a turning point in Nelson’s artistic evolution, highlighting his commitment to documenting nomadic and Indigenous tribes with dignity and deep human empathy.

Humanity is a retrospective that traces Jimmy Nelson’s deeply personal and artistic journey, exploring identity, belonging, and the shared essence of the human family. Through evocative large-scale portraits, Nelson invites us to see the beauty in cultural diversity, emphasising that—despite our differences—we are all part of one interconnected world.

Nelson’s subjects are nomadic and Indigenous Peoples from around the globe, portrayed with dignity, pride, and aesthetic reverence. Travel, natural elements, and deeply human stories form the core of his process. His images are often composed with majestic landscapes and natural light, creating a harmonious interplay between people and place. Each photograph is the result of meticulous orchestration, yet embraces the unpredictability of human connection and the spontaneity of real life.

More than mere documentation, Nelson’s work is a poetic tribute to cultural richness. He captures rituals, generational bonds, and quiet moments of emotion. These portraits not only celebrate tradition, but also reflect the fluid, modern identities shaped by global influence.

It is also the first time Nelson’s analog works—created using a 10 x 8 large-format camera—will be shown outside of the Palazzo Reale exhibition. Monumental in scale and rich in emotional resonance, they reflect a unique convergence of technical mastery and human connection.

Presented in Venice—a city shaped by centuries of cultural exchange and craftsmanship—these works resonate deeply within the global, cross-cultural context of the Architecture Biennale. Nelson’s ongoing exploration of identity, belonging, and the shared essence of humanity finds renewed significance here, in a place that reflects the fluid movement of ideas, people, and traditions.

The 10 x 8 Series

A pivotal development in Nelson’s practice began in 2019, when he adopted a 10 x 8 Gibellini titanium monorail camera—a nod to the great masters Irving Penn and Richard Avedon. This analog method demands patience, precision, and trust. Each image is created with natural light, long exposures, and large-format film, capturing minute textures and expressions in breathtaking detail.

The results are monumental portraits—at once intimate and epic—where the softness of movement and slight imperfections reveal the vitality of the moment. Subjects are adorned in feathers, beads, paint, and natural fibers, echoing the ornate dignity of historical portraiture. These works blur the line between photography and painting, offering a timeless celebration of identity, beauty, and human presence.

Through Humanity and especially the 10 x 8 series, Jimmy Nelson reminds us: beauty is not in perfection, but in connection—and in the shared stories that make us who we are.