Dark Line - The Thames Estuary Nadav Kander

The second edition of Dark Line - The Thames Estuary accompanied Nadav Kander's 2019 New York exhibition at Flowers.

Kander’s on-going series, Dark Line – The Thames Estuary, is a personal reflection of the River Thames at its point of connection with the sea, through atmospheric images of its slow-moving dark waters and seemingly infinite horizons. Travelling to the estuary alone over a period of three years, engaging in his process of slow photography, Kander focuses on the cycle of the river, as well as its historical and mystical implications. Immersive, the resulting images explore photography’s ability to encapsulate time and physical borders.

Once known as the busiest trading route in the world, the estuary waters of the River Thames have been shaped by the history of human experience. Images of heavy skies and dark, turbulent waters summon memories of the toil and grit of the many thousands who have worked the river since Roman times – of pirates roaming the waters, soldiers and ships sunk in battle and, more recently, migrants embarking on dangerous journeys across the North Sea. With small figurative elements, such as disused artillery forts, quarries and other abandoned structures and ruins, Kander’s photographs evoke the grimness of the river’s history, as well as a contemporary sense of desolation.

With an essay by Nadav Kander, 2018.