When humans abandon places they have created, nature beautifully reclaims what rightfully belongs to her, and this can be really quite spectacular.
Abandoned greenhouses adorned with twining greenery, trees growing out of decaying vehicles or a neglected bar devoured by lush flora, are only a part of the portfolio of a young talented urbex we’ve discovered recently.
Jon Jimenez, who goes by the pseudonym Jonk, is a 31-year-old Paris-based photographer who is on a quest to capture dilapidated structures reclaimed by nature.
“I find a lot of poetry in these places; it usually takes very long for nature to strike back, so it generally happens in very decayed places, which I also love. Seeing perfect green ivy crawling on a cracking concrete is beautiful to me”- Jon told us in a recent interview.
” I started exploring the catacombs of Paris 8 years ago. I have been moving from one place to another often in the last 4 years, to visit abandoned places around the world. When I started looking for abandoned warehouses in the suburbs of Paris, searching for graffiti, I realized that I loved the atmosphere in these places”.
When it comes to searching for a particular location for taking photos, Jon relies on one source:
“Google and Google Maps are my two best friends!”
Jon lives in Paris but utilizes any spare time to pack his camera and travel around the world to capture abandoned structures salvaged by nature:
“I have been in England, Belgium, Luxembourg, Germany, Czech Republic, Poland, Romania, Bulgaria, Italy, Hungary, Croatia, Serbia, Bosnia, Kosovo, Macedonia, Montenegro, Slovenia and Ukraine. And outside of Europe, Cuba and Senegal. Next year I will go to Latvia, Lithuania, Estonia, Portugal and back to countries where I have already been”.
See more of Jonk’s photography here.
In response to whether there are any downsides of urban exploration, Jon explains, “There are no cons, I like every aspect of it. However, there is the potential danger of falling in holes, getting caught by security, etc but this is part of the game”.