Wild Animals Camouflaged within the Vast Expansive of Namibia

Hour upon hour, Ghent-based photographer Maroesjka Lavigne traverses the vacant terrain of Namibia, taking the country’s native beasts— the giraffe, the flamingo, and the zebra, and perhaps most of all, the rhinoceros—as her silent and gently-moving guides. Here, amongst the salt pans and sand dunes, she names the nation the Land of Nothingness; behemoths roam free and unseen, hidden and enfolded by the infinite topography.

Lavigne traveled for countless miles across the wilderness, stopping only for gas and encountering nary a human soul along the way. Following in the wake of the animals, whose well-worn feet instinctually understood the contours of this alien landscape, she allowed her breast to fill to brim with wonderment; she was enchanted, adrenaline coursing through her veins and making her feel giddy like “a little girl.”

Amongst the animals, the hours seemed to expand into unfathomable eons; the clock stood still, and carried on once more with the sound of creatures moving this way and that. Here in this bone-dry netherworld, the human psyche is set free, given the choice to stand stock-still or run for miles into the eternal horizon.

Maroesjka Lavigne: Land of Nothingness will be on view at Robert Mann Gallery beginning February 4th.

All images © Maroesjka Lavigne

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