Megan Lim's "I've Taken to the Valley"

Megan Lim
Archival Inkjet Print
17 x 22 inches
2019

Megan Lim
Archival Inkjet Print
17 x 22 inches
2019

Megan Lim
Archival Inkjet Print
17 x 22 inches
2019

Megan Lim
Archival Inkjet Print
17 x 22 inches
2019

“The Valley of L.A. can be slow moving, uninteresting, and plain, a constant that won’t budge. I grew up resenting the suburbs and pined for the urban areas of L.A. I was even willing to settle for the “cooler” areas of the Valley: right before the 101, where all the celebrities lived with their families. My appreciation for the Valley started to grow only when I was physically away from it, when it became a place I could come back to whenever I wanted, rather than one to which I was subjected. This series of diptychs was taken in my neighborhood of Northridge. They reflect the newfound warmth and comfort I find in my surroundings: the summer days by the pool, the walks at night on the impossibly wide and empty streets, the next-door neighbors’ house completely covered in tin tiles. By being able to photograph my suburbs, I have been able to find the slight oddities in the places I had overlooked all this time–the objects, people, and things only the Valley could produce.”
-Megan Lim