El Chaltén is a village inside Argentina’s Los Glaciares National Park. The remote park is home to 48 glaciers, with some trailheads starting in town. Located among shops, restaurants and hotels on one of El Chaltén’s main streets is photographer Alex DeMets’ La Lenga Art Gallery. 

DeMets has managed the gallery and displayed his work there for the last three years, after spending the previous six years traveling and photographing South America. Originally hailing from the American Midwest, DeMets started traveling full-time to pursue his photographic career nearly ten years ago. Since then, he has completed just two dozen or so final images, nearly all of which can only be viewed in-person at his gallery, since he rarely shares them on the internet.

In an interview with GlacierHub, DeMets discusses his work to date, his artistic approach and his upcoming plans. This is the first interview DeMets has granted on his work.

This interview has been edited for clarity and concision.

What drew you to make the glacially shaped landscape of Patagonia home for La Lenga Art Gallery after years of travel?

Obviously, being located at the base of some of the most spectacular mountain scenery in the world was appealing. It also simplified the logistics of running photographic tours—another branch of my business. I knew El Chaltén, unlike destinations in Peru and Mexico, was devoid of art. It seemed preferable to be the only gallery in a small town as opposed to one of many in a bigger city. El Chaltén also had a long off season— as a traveler, this was a plus, because it allowed me to travel several months a year.

How did you select the images to display in the gallery?

I primarily show work from South America. I want to show my most unique images, and have a balance of work from El Chaltén and other parts of the continent to create a memorable gallery experience. My long-term vision is to have my gallery(ies) be places where people can, in a few minutes, see the most unique landscapes of the continent all in one place.

You’ve named the gallery La Lenga for a tree indigenous to Patagonia. Can you tell me more about how wood plays into the presentation of your photos?

The live-edge wood frames are an extension of the aesthetic in the gallery; contrasting soft forms/lines with rigid forms/lines. I present my work in an unexpected way. Rather than creating a white minimalist space that doesn’t distract from the art, I attempt to create a space which harmonizes with the art.

Can you describe your creative process?

My creative process tends to be drawn out and my goal is to highlight what makes each landscape unique, rather than taking a cookie-cutter approach to photographing them. I aim to avoid creating the same image in different locations. I incorporate elements like dead trees which are unique to a particular landscape. Dead Lenga trees provide curves, lines and textures, which lead to unique results.

For a landscape image, it starts with scouting a new area. I may go on five to 10 hikes before finding something unique. Once I’ve found something I like, I keep returning to it until I have photographed it under the weather conditions I was hoping for. Usually, I’ll have to retake images many times when hoping for particular weather conditions. Finding the ideal sky, for example, can tie together a composition, but almost inevitably means rephotographing a scene many times. I usually know an image is finished when I hit the point of diminishing returns.

You make limited use of social media and only sell prints to in-person visitors. Why take this approach to sharing your work?

I prefer to show my work only in the gallery partly because I have mixed feelings about social media, and partly because I prefer my photographs to be viewed at their intended size, which is large. I want them to be seen in a frame in the gallery, as many things impact how art is experienced. If I allow people to scroll through cropped versions of my images on a small screen, the experience I strive to create is lost.

Social media is useful for marketing and running a business, but seems harmful to the creative process. A fundamental aspect of art is attempting to create something original. Most art enthusiasts expect professional artists to be capable of creating original works of art. And yet, a disappointingly high percentage of nature photographers on social media have portfolios of images previously taken by others. It’s a stretch to call this art. Seeing this from amateur and hobby photographers is one thing, as replicating is a part of learning. But a line is crossed when one starts to profit from re-takes of images originally created by others.

Aside from this, in an attempt to keep up with the demands of Instagram’s algorithms, artists are pushed to produce images in quantity, rather than creating images of quality.

In a sense, by making my images harder to see (the majority can’t be seen online—you have to physically walk through the gallery), they tend to be more appreciated by those who do see them. In the same way that people are willing to pay more to see their favorite artist perform live than they are to buy their CD, people appreciate art more in a gallery.

What do you hope viewers take away from a visit to your gallery?

As a traveler, I occasionally come across businesses with a certain energy. My belief is that this energy stems from things like interior design, location, the quality of the product and an overall uniqueness. We often do not find all of these in businesses whose primary function is maximizing profit— those tend to feel generic, even if they are polished and clean.

There’s a necessity to create a space that feels magical, mysterious, and original. I think people look at art and travel to feel these things.

Are you focusing your energies at present on the gallery or are new projects taking shape?

I plan to close my gallery in El Chaltén at the end of this season. I will reopen it in El Calafate, on land I plan to purchase with two friends, and open another gallery in Brazil.

My new galleries, because I will own them rather than rent, will be more elaborate. I plan to take a year away from Patagonia to save for them, and to focus on new conceptual photography projects (although nature will still be an element). They will fuse photographic styles. I enjoy nature photography, but think it has limits in what it allows me to communicate as an artist.

Having spent nearly 10 years in South America has impacted the way I see the world—the continent’s many cultures and my journey of understanding and adapting to them are things I’d like to focus on expressing in these upcoming projects.

To see more of Alex DeMets’ work or contact him, visit his Instagram @lalengaaartgallery.