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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