The Sensual Land: 50 Years of Bodyscapes by Artist Allan Teger

A retrospective and celebration of the career of artist Allan Teger. 2026 marks the 50th anniversary of Teger’s beloved photography series BODYSCAPES.

CHICAGO, IL, UNITED STATES, July 20, 2026 /EINPresswire.com/ -- THE SENSUAL LAND: 50 YEARS OF BODYSCAPES

AN EXHIBITION AT JACKSON JUNGE GALLERY

Exhibition Run: July 6th – August 9th, 2026
Opening Reception: Friday, July 10th, from 6 pm - 9 pm

1389 N Milwaukee Avenue, Chicago, IL 60622


Jackson Junge Gallery is proud to announce their second solo exhibition of the year, THE SENSUAL LAND: 50 YEARS OF BODYSCAPES, a retrospective and celebration of the career of artist Allan Teger. 2026 marks the 50th anniversary of Teger’s beloved photography series BODYSCAPES. What started with studio film photography in 1976 is now photographed digitally, but the spirit and process of the work remain the same. Utilizing nude models and toy miniatures, Teger’s BODYSCAPES transform the human form into a landscape straight from an alternate reality; one where tiny mountain climbers scale the facade of a breast and cross-country skiers glide across the curve of a back. Using precise lighting, Teger casts the lines and curves of the body into shadow, making them appear more like a natural landscape than a human body. These images range from subtle to recognizable nudes.

BODYSCAPES evolved from Teger’s study of psychology and interest in altered realities, subjective reality, and mystical consciousness. Teger’s interest in photography began in his youth when he became the school photographer for his high school and college. His photography pursuits were put on pause after he earned his PHD in psychology and began pursuing a career, eventually teaching at the University of Pennsylvania. Teger’s time in academic psychology left an impression on him artistically and spiritually. After shifting from teaching social psychology to the psychology of consciousness, he began looking for a way to explore his ideas in depth. He started his BODYSCAPES series in 1976, focusing on the concepts of coexisting realities, the structure of our universe, and human perception. Teger eventually devoted himself full time to his art practice and over the 50 years since, he has experimented with different variations of his BODYSCAPES.

In his BODYSCAPES, it is important to Teger that the realities he is photographing are truly real; no photo editing or darkroom tricks. He utilizes high quality miniatures to ensure that the scene is as convincing as possible. Each composition is created on the model’s body and a single exposure is made with Teger's camera. The audience plays an important role in finishing the piece- Teger sees their reaction as the completion of the artwork.

Most of the series is photographed in black and white, but early on there was some experimentation with color. Teger used a variety of colored lights to illuminate his subjects for different effects. A few of these images are included in the exhibition, including “Apple”, which shows a torso lit in red, with a hissing snake and apple balanced on the model’s stomach. While he enjoyed this process, he found that photographing in color did not offer the same illusion as black and white.

A unique portion of the exhibition is Teger’s stereopticons. A stereopticon is two side by side images slightly offset from one another, that when looked at through a specialized viewing piece, creates the illusion of a 3D image. The stereopticons provide a way for viewers to fully immerse themselves in a BODYSCAPE, becoming part of that reality while viewing the photograph.

THE SENSUAL LAND takes us on a trek through the landscape of Allan Teger’s mind and the many realities he has created for us over the last 50 years. The artistic process and development of the beloved BODYSCAPES series will be on full display alongside other notable work from the accomplished photographer, including Teger’s BODY STOCKING SCAPES, COLOR BODYSCAPES, and ZODIAC SERIES.

THE SENSUAL LAND will be on view at Jackson Junge Gallery July 6th – August 9th, 2026. The gallery will be holding the exhibition’s opening reception on Friday, July 10th, from 6 pm – 9 pm. It is free and open to the public. THE SENSUAL LAND is curated by Owner Chris Jackson and Gallery Director Kaitlyn Miller.

Jackson Junge Gallery
1389 N. Milwaukee Avenue, Chicago, IL 60622
773-227-7900
j2gallery.com
The Jackson Junge Gallery features the work of Laura Lee Junge and other contemporary artists.

Jackson Junge Gallery
Allan Teger
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