‘I Lost my Train of Thought’, Photo London (15-18 May 2025)
Belmond announces the return of a solo exhibition by Colin Dodgson. Entitled, ‘I Lost my Train of Thought’, this year commissioned series offers a visual odyssey of the epic high Andes, as captured from aboard the Andean Explorer, A Belmond Train, Peru – the only luxury sleeper train in South America and one of the highest-altitude train journeys in the world. It was from this elevated everchanging vantage point that photographer Colin Dodgson embarked in a four-day journey to convey the unique majesty of Peru.
Dodgson’s Peru series is part of Belmond Legends, which pairs internationally-renowned photographers with legendary Belmond properties, joining notable artists such as Chris Rhodes, Coco Capitán, Rosie Marks and François Halard. His epic journey will also be encapsulated in an art book as part of Belmond’s ‘As Seen By’ collection, published by esteemed Parisian art house, RVB Books and distributed internationally.
Belmond further reaffirms its commitment to contemporary travel photography with a platform dedicated to emerging talent: the Belmond Photographic Residency, now in its second year, will open for 2025 submissions on the first day of Photo London.
‘I LOST MY TRAIN OF THOUGHT’: A POETIC ODYSSEY
Aboard the Andean Explorer, Dodgson’s lyrical photographs of the four-day journey – from Cusco to Arequipa, with stops at Lake Titicaca, the floating island of Uro, the Colca Canyon and the market at La Raya – reveal a palpable sensitivity to the particular rhythms and atmospheres of a given place and capture intimate moments onboard. Hand-printed by the artist, they are imbued with a warm, luminous glow, a muted and distinctive palette that often evokes the last moments of daylight.
Colin Dodgson is an American photographer whose work intertwines fine art and commercial commissions, distinguished by his adept use of analogue methodologies and natural light. Favouring spontaneity and imperfection, he conjures a painterly, oneiric quality through the alchemy of traditional darkroom printing techniques. His images exude both curiosity and wry humour, often unearthing subtle absurdities through diverse firsthand encounters.
Dodgson recalls his fascination with the Dutch Golden Age where still life dominated the art scene with food and plants playing as protagonist to painters who documented the Dutch Republic’s status as a preeminent trading centre, renowned for its global sourcing of exotic goods. Dodgson replicates this sentiment through his Andean photography, making use of a variety of indigenous gnarled potatoes, a recurring central figure in his photographs as he came to learn that potatoes originated in Peru, grown at altitudes of up to 4,200 metres.
For his solo show at Photo London, Dodgson has interspersed imagery taken aboard the Eastern & Oriental Express, A Belmond Train, Malaysia, drawing parallels and contrasts between train journeys around the world.
Belmond’s collection of trains spans three continents and invites guests to discover a new pace of travel, immersing themselves in the spirit of Slow Luxury.
BELMOND PHOTOGRAPHIC RESIDENCY
Submissions for the 2025 Belmond Photographic Residency will open on the first day of Photo London (15 May 2025) via residency.belmond.com. The Residency is open to all nationalities and ages, with the requirement that the talent is not yet or has not been represented by an agent or gallery. The new jury, yet to be announced, will focus on supporting future perspectives of travel photography and visionary artistic talent.
In December 2024, Belmond proudly announced the inaugural winner of the first Belmond Photographic Residency: Cecy Young. From over 800 applications, a shortlist of 18 talented photographers from 10 countries were reviewed by Belmond’s distinguished jury, comprised of esteemed figures in the photography and arts community to include: Simon Baker (Director of Maison Européenne de la Photographie), Carla Sozzani (Gallerist and Founder of Fondazione Sozzani), Coco Capitán (Photographer), Antwaun Sargent (Writer and Curator), Ekow Eshun (Writer and Curator), Matthieu Charon (Co-Founder of RVB Books), and Arnaud Champenois (Senior Vice President of Global Brand, Belmond).
This new initiative underscores Belmond’s dedication to contemporary travel photography, providing a platform for emerging talent while showcasing their groundbreaking work. As a cornerstone of Belmond’s annual cultural calendar, the initiative includes a €15,000 financial award, the publication of a new book with RVB, and an exhibition for each year’s selected artist. The Residency honours photographers whose creative vision offers a fresh perspective on travel photography, coupled with a distinctive artistic voice.
