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Born in the 80s in France, Julien Talbot had grown up surrounded by American music, film, and pop culture, like many other young people from his generation who were living in Western Europe. But for Talbot, the exposure to this wave coming from across the ocean quickly transformed into a deep fascination for the country. In 2015, the photographer set on a journey across the USA. Although it was not his first and certainly not the last, the trip focused on a certain type of landscape – the desert regions found in Utah, Arizona, Nevada, and California. There is a sense of calm and peacefulness captured within every image, whether it displays an arid landscape with blue mountains rising in the distance, an empty crossroad in the middle of nowhere, a motel, or the interior of a classic diner. The series is titled ‘Memories of the Unknown’, and it refers to the feeling of familiarity the viewer experiences while looking at the images, regardless if he or she has ever set foot inside the country. Such is the prevalence of this type of landscapes and of Americana in modern culture, that they have become universal and instantly recognizable. Julien Talbot’s photographs, despite their almost serene atmosphere, have an immediate impact, whether they trigger a tinge of melancholy or wanderlust.
