In her series Land of Nothingness, Belgian photographer Maroesjka Lavigne reveals solitude and stillness in the stark, pale landscape of Namibia. Depicting the arid desert in delicately muted colors, she draws attention to surprising signs of life on the vast, empty land–a herd of wild animals here, a tiny figure and his shadow there, the gnarled branches of crooked trees emerging from the earth.
“Namibia’s landscape draws you in, through a vast brown plain of scorched earth, and steers you over the white surface of a salt pan to finally arrive in the pink hue of the sand dunes,” the photographer writes on her website. “Patience is required to discover the wide range of Namibia’s subtle scenery. It literally takes you hours, driving though nothing, to at long last arrive at…more of nothing.”
Reflecting on her experience, Lavigne thinks back to the childhood memory of going on a safari in Kenya and having the overwhelming feeling of nature taking over. She tells us, “Seeing elephants, giraffes, lions etc. living in the wild is just great. You realise that you’re not alone in this world, and definitely there’s a kind of relief that takes over. In Namibia, life is still very natural. Time doesn’t appear to be as important. I love that feeling.”
Maroesjka Lavigne: Website
My Modern Met granted permission to use photos by Maroesjka Lavigne.