Naturalia: chronicle of contemporary ruins
What Jonk does with his work Naturalia carries a strong message: to show what the Earth would look like if Man were to disappear. This message could be apocalyptic. However, the way used is not apocalyptic at all. By carefully choosing the places he shows, Jonk uses beauty to get his message across. Through his work, he is trying to raise awareness of the urgent need to mobilize.” - Yann Arthus-Bertrand.
Jonathan Jimenez, aka «Jonk», has been foaming the globe for about fifteen years
of years. From religious ceremonies in India to Guatemalan cattle markets and Eastern Europe, this thirty-seven-year-old artist is always looking for the perfect shot.
Over time, after taking a step into street art and the urbex, he drew closer to a subject that is today the main theme of his work: the reappropriation by Nature of places created by Man.
Over time, his interest has focused on what appears to him the strongest in this vast subject of abandonment: places taken over by Nature. It is poetic to see it take back what was hers, to reintegrate through broken windows and cracks, the spaces built by Man and then abandoned, until they completely engulfed them.
His work has been presented at numerous group exhibitions around the world (Paris, London, Lisbon, Rome, Seoul, Tokyo, Singapore, Los Angeles, New York, etc.) and many solo exhibitions in Paris (Salon d'Honneur de la Mairie du 20ème arrondissement, the OECD, Forum des Halles, Fondation Nicolas Hulot, etc.).