The Infinity Canyon series is set among the landscapes of the Salish Sea, situated on Canada’s West Coast. The images are printed onto traditional Japanese paper (kozo washi) and gold leaf that is hand-applied to the reverse of each print. This fine, semitransparent paper allows the gold to softly permeate the image, creating an iridescent patina that evokes a sense of nostalgia and painterly depth.
Historically, gold has been used in religious art to represent divinity, inner wisdom, and the radiance of the awakened mind. In this series, gold signifies consciousness itself—a shared, universal awareness that, according to some traditions, constitutes the very ground of reality. The primordial creatures, plants, rivers, and skies depicted in the series share a brief connection within an ever-unfolding fabric of consciousness.
Infinity Canyon continues my interest in spiritual exploration through art-making. Positioned at the convergence of landscape representation and metaphysical inquiry, my aim is to invite reflection on our place within nature and the cosmos that is at once vast and deeply intimate.
Jason J. Nielsen (Canadian, b. 1968) is an award-winning filmmaker and picture editor who has returned to photography as a means of personal exploration and connection to the natural world. Informed by his lifelong interest in Buddhism, cinema, and depth psychology, Nielsen’s work explores themes of self, interconnection, memory, and the detritus of time. His photographs have been exhibited at the Foley Gallery (New York City) and the Laurent Gallery (Melbourne). His film work has been shown at festivals around the world and is held in the collections of the National Gallery of Canada and the National Arts Centre in Ottawa. Nielsen studied cinema at the University of Regina and photography at Langara College in Vancouver. He lives and photographs in Vancouver’s Kitsilano neighbourhood.