Jakob de Boer | Pre-Myth

On view in the main gallery, Pre-Myth celebrates Jakob de Boer’s most extensive body of work to date, Where Ravens Cry; made over a two-year period on Vancouver Island and the surrounding region. The photographs are the result of a hauntingly soulful exploration of the mythology and mysticism of Canada’s Pacific Northwest. They evoke a visual anthropology that captures the spiritual significance of the region’s ancestral lands and the legends that were birthed from them.

Through his series, de Boer examines a world few have seen at a poignant time when the region faces the logging of ancient forests and the invasion of pipelines. A sweeping narrative unfolds through meditative, large-format photographs revolving around themes of life, death, memory, and transformation. Desolate coastlines and massive cedar trees punctuate the work but it’s the recurring presence of this region’s myths, presented in a centerpiece, 3-meter pentaptych, “The Pre-Myth”, that sets the mystical and cinematic tone for this striking body of work.

Jakob de Boer, born in 1974 in Toronto, began his career in the Film & Television arena, producing and directing over 100 episodes of television before pursuing photography as a full-time artistic practice. De Boer's photographs are held in a number of collections and have been the subject of installations in cities including Melbourne, Toronto, Seattle, Cologne, Los Angeles, and Milan at the 2015 World Expo. A passion for handcrafted prints has led to his study with a number of renowned printmakers resulting in the exquisite silver gelatin prints offered to collectors. De Boer divides his time between Toronto and Paris.