God’s Country wanders through the subtle stories and complicated histories of Louisiana.

From 2012 through 2016, Southerly Gold traveled to the parishes that occupy the delineated corners of the state following the trails of desire for Southern Utopia. These photographs are an exploration of the promises and resources that the farthest reaches of Louisiana have held for humankind. From agriculture to oil, from land to sea, our images of the contemporary landscape—captured along routes of the past—bear witness to the residue of these promises.

From sweeping vistas to the minutia of found and discarded objects, God’s Country investigates and visualizes such questions as: What promises did the land hold for people? What has the natural environment given to people, and what have people taken from that environment? How does the landscape reflect human history and modern day occurrences? How have people created space within these rich and oftentimes volatile landscapes?

©2023