“I wanted to get to know the state.”
That was one of Malia Jensen’s motivations when she first proposed her art project Nearer Nature, now on view in Central Oregon.
The Portland-based artist was inspired by “driving around the state, meeting people, having conversations,” as she explored Oregon in search of locations to record and install her new video work. It gave her “an excuse to go into some place and have a conversation. I could say, ‘Hey I’m working on this project, can I share it with you? Would you be interested in hosting this in your grocery shop or your bar?’ And from there I could meet their friends, too.
“I haven’t been able to be as responsible to those relationships as I would like,” she added. “I would like to sit in each one of these towns for weeks and just hang out. I want to live in all of these places. I’m in love with this state.”
