SALT DREAMS
JIMMY AND DENA KATZ
ARTIST'S STATEMENT
My wife and collaborator Dena and I used to travel to Salt Lake City often and decided to photograph the Salt Flats. What struck us most was not the sweeping landscapes but the odd man-made objects and artifacts we would encounter. From random trash to car racing setups, the Salt Flats have become the backdrop of human activity.
Instead of focusing our lens on the landscapes, we decided to explore the impact human civilization had in these ancient places. Many images are absurd and even surreal – very much like human existence itself.
WHY I LOVE THIS PHOTOGRAPHY SERIES, by Aurélie
I love the surreal quality and absurd humor of this series. The images perfectly capture the folly that human beings are.
Inspired by American landscapes photographers like Ansel Adams, Jimmy and Dena Katz traveled West to capture the Great Salt Lake in Utah. But instead of pristine nature, they found the presence of man everywhere. From seeing trash on the side of the road to reading about pollution, they couldn’t escape the modern world.
Jimmy Katz became fascinated by the unexpected juxtapositions between the timeless landscapes and the man-made artifacts. The contrast between the two often resulted in surreal moments – like finding a group of plastic flamingos planted in a salt bed. The images highlight how humans feel our species is above all else, above nature. But these places have existed for millions of years, while we are barely a blip in Earth’s history.
Spending time in the Salt Flats over two years (2004-2005), Jimmy and Dena Katz met people who come here for annual car racing or rocket launching events. These devoted fans found this unfriendly environment the perfect place for their hobby. And it is true that, with their vast expanse and flat terrain, the Salt Flats are ideal. Ideal but not without danger: arsenic and other heavy metals are commonly found buried underneath. As the lake dries up due to diminishing snow and ice melt, its heavily polluted bed will turn to dust, which will then be carried by winds. As of now, airborne dust is already a problem for nearby residents as particulates can lodge in their lungs and worsen asthma and the risk of heart attacks. The drying up of the Great Salt Lake is an environmental disaster no one knows how to prevent.
Some of the images Jimmy and Dena captured could not be replicated today. With global warming, the Great Salt Lake is getting smaller, from about 3,300 square miles in the late 1980s to less than 1,000 today, according to the U.S. Geological Survey. There’s less and less water and more and more desert.
Salt Dreams is a testament to nature’s fragility in the face of man’s folly.
ABOUT THE ARTIST
Jimmy Katz was born in New York City in 1957 and studied photography with John McKee at Bowdoin College.
Collaborating with his wife Dena, he has become the most prolific jazz photographer of the last 30 years. Together, they worked on over 580 recording projects, over 200 magazine covers and hundreds of editorial pieces – more than any modern photographer documenting jazz.
Salt Dreams came from their frequent travels to Utah and interest in documenting the conflict between man and nature.
You can see Jimmy Katz's celebrated portraits of jazz musicians here.
SELECTED MUSEUMS ACQUISITIONS AND EXHIBITIONS:
2010 Houston Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, TX: “Salt Dreams” Exhibit and in their permanent collection
2007 Islip Museum, Islip, NY: “Salt Dreams” Exhibit
SELECTED SOLOS SHOWS:
2022 Ex Chiesa della Maddalena: Bergamo, Italy
2019 Galleria Nazionale dell’Umbria: Perugia, Italy
RECENT PRESS:
OTHER ARTISTS YOU MAY ENJOY
