The Island of the Colorblind
© Sanne De Wilde“Color is just a word to those who cannot see it.”
In the late eighteenth century, a catastrophic typhoon swept across Pingelap, a remote atoll in the Pacific Ocean. Among the few survivors was the island’s king—a carrier of a rare genetic mutation: achromatopsia. As he fathered many children, the gene quietly spread, and over generations, many Pingelapese came to see the world in black and white. Achromatopsia is marked by extreme light sensitivity—daylight is unbearably bright, moonlight turns night into day—reduced visual acuity, and a complete absence of color vision.
In The Island of the Colorblind, De Wilde experiments with alternative ways of seeing. Using black-and-white photography, infrared imaging, and collaborative photo-paintings, she constructs a layered visual language that embraces ‘the diversity of seeing and being’ and opens up a world of colorful possibilities and diverse realities. Photographing the islanders—who in Pingelapese are referred to as blind (maskun)—resulted in a conceptual selection of images in which eyes, faces, or vision itself are partially obscured, for we can never truly see through someone else’s eyes.
Flames burn in grayscale; trees shimmer with unexpected tones. Candyfloss forests and bubblegum-colored waters emerge, pinks rising from leaves as rainbows dissolve into gradients of grey—a spectrum reimagined. The Island of the Colorblind invites viewers into a dreamlike exploration of color and perception. It asks: what might the world look like through an unconditioned, colorblind mind? If those who cannot see color could paint it with their imagination, how would they depict trees, oceans, or even themselves? And perhaps—are those of us who see in color the ones who are truly blind?
The project culminates in an immersive installation that deepens the encounter, building a sensory bridge between islanders and viewers, between perception and imagination.
click to view the complete set of images in the archive
Book published by Hannibal Books & co-published by Kehrer [SOLD OUT]
Softcover
UV-sensitive, changes in sunlight 22,5 x 28 cm
160 pages
85 color illustrations
English
Out of print
ISBN 978-3-86828-826-1 2017
Artist: Sanne De Wilde
Texts:
Arnon Grunberg, Azu Nwagbogu, Oliver Sacks, Katharina Smets, Duncan Speakman, Roel Van Gils, Sanne De Wilde
Design:
Tim Bisschop
Softcover
UV-sensitive, changes in sunlight 22,5 x 28 cm
160 pages
85 color illustrations
English
Out of print
ISBN 978-3-86828-826-1 2017
Artist: Sanne De Wilde
Texts:
Arnon Grunberg, Azu Nwagbogu, Oliver Sacks, Katharina Smets, Duncan Speakman, Roel Van Gils, Sanne De Wilde
Design:
Tim Bisschop
As Real As It Gets
© Thomas NolfAs Real As It Gets is a photography project by Thomas Nolf that explores the human need for escape through aviation culture.
During the COVID-19 lockdown, Nolf rediscovered his childhood dream of becoming a pilot. At a time when travel was prohibited, he installed the latest version of Microsoft Flight Simulator on his computer and embarked on a virtual journey. The memory of the slogan “As Real As It Gets” — printed on the box of Flight Simulator 1998 — inspired him to seek out plane spotters around international airports and meet flight simulator pilots at home. Through their fascination with aviation, they found ways to keep their dreams alive or to temporarily escape from reality.
Flight simulator pilots are passionate about building cockpits at home.
Some mount multiple screens to their desks, while others use actual aircraft parts to create immersive environments. These simulators offer a structured escape from the chaos of everyday life — a world where navigation is often harder. In the cockpit, with its switches and procedures, they find structure, autonomy, and control.
The plane spotters, on the other hand, operate in the real world. They observe, document, and photograph aircraft with great precision.
While most stand at a safe distance along runways, a more adventurous scene unfolds at Maho Beach in Saint Martin (Caribbean), where tourists gather in the jet stream of approaching planes. Against a backdrop of turquoise water and azure skies, they feel the thrill of jets skimming just overhead before landing a few hundred metres away — a spectacle that has turned Maho Beach into an iconic holiday destination.
Nolf combines photography with simulated imagery, personal diary text fragments, and childhood snapshots to explore aviation’s romantic and dreamlike appeal. His refined compositions and colour treatments echo the stylised, almost surreal aesthetics of video games, film, and advertising.
Whether photographing Maho Beach or a runway in Miniatur Wunderland, Nolf frames each scene to highlight its artificial, staged quality. The people in his images appear caught in a still, stylised version of reality — suspended somewhere between fiction and truth.It’s within this ambiguity that the project thrives, blurring the lines between documentary and dream.
As Real As It Gets is both a collective portrait and a personal story. It reflects on our shared desire to escape, to find freedom — if only for a moment — and to dream of flight in a world that often feels heavy
click to view the complete set of images in the archive
Published by Art Paper Editions
Design & Edit by Thomas Nolf & Jurgen Maelfeyt
March 2025, English, Dutch
24 × 30 cm, 200 p, ills. color, hardcover
ISBN 9789083438481
Texts by Thomas Nolf & Arnon Grunberg
click to buy
Design & Edit by Thomas Nolf & Jurgen Maelfeyt
March 2025, English, Dutch
24 × 30 cm, 200 p, ills. color, hardcover
ISBN 9789083438481
Texts by Thomas Nolf & Arnon Grunberg
click to buy
Clouds Bring Blessings
© Thandiwe MuriuClouds Bring Blessings unveils a new body of work in which the artist Thandiwe Muriu opens a dialogue with her natural environment and affirms her ongoing commitment to exploring cultural heritage. For these portraits, Muriu produced her own textiles using the tie & dye technique, embracing collaboration with nature, resistance, and surrender.
“When I first began experimenting with fabric-making, I imagined a dive into a technique—a study in both historical and contemporary craftsmanship. Tie & dye seemed like a natural starting point, unseemingly complicated by difficult production techniques, or so I thought. Journeying deeper into the art of fabric-making, what was supposed to be a reconnection to traditional methodologies soon turned into a recognition of our longstanding dialogue with the environment. This journey was not a nostalgic return, but a yielding of process. Over time, it became unsettlingly clear that the environment was my uninvited co-creator. The more I tried to control the outcome of the dyeing process, the more she resisted. This isn’t just a series about fabric. It is about impact; about the undeniable entanglement between what we make, and the world we make it in.”
Thandiwe Muriu 2025
click to view the complete set of images in the archive
Irish Girlhood [Work in progress]
© Eimear LynchThe follow-up to Girls’ Night will be a photographic exploration of girlhood in Ireland today, capturing the contrast between a country that has made significant social progress and one still tethered to its past through deeply rooted religious traditions. Lynch intends to document girls at key milestones, from their First Holy Communion at age 8 to their Debs at 18, and everything in between. “Through this, I will explore themes of tradition by capturing religious ceremonies like First Communions and Confirmations, Irish festivals, Irish dancing, and girls growing up on farms. I will also highlight the modernity of Irish society by documenting trans girls, immigrant girls, and the thriving non-white community that is enriching our culture.”
This project will delve into themes of beauty, consumerism, and immigration, examining the forces that shape girlhood in Ireland today. “By photographing a broad range of young girls across the country, I aim to create an honest and diverse portrayal of their experiences. I hope that this work not only reflects the reality of Irish girlhood but also resonates with a universal audience, sparking conversations about tradition, identity, and change.”
Here are some images from several preliminary shoots in Ireland in 2025
We Wanted Freedom
© Maxime CrozetAfter thirteen years of devastating war, Syria is slowly awakening from a nightmare. Since the fall of Bashar al-Assad's regime on December 8, 2024, the country has been trying to recover, rebuild, and relearn how to live. The M5 highway, the backbone of the country, still connects Aleppo in the north to Deraa in the south, passing through Homs, Hama, and Damascus—cities that have been battered but remain standing.
It was in Deraa that it all began in March 2011, when the first protests broke out after the arrest of young graffiti artists who dared to write on a wall: “The people want the regime to fall.” Heading north, the road leads to Damascus, long a bastion of power. The old city, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, is trying to heal its wounds. The Hamidiyah souk is once again buzzing with activity, albeit timidly. Minarets and churches still stand side by side, a reminder of Syria's diverse identity. Further north, Homs, the martyr city, symbolizes the Syrian tragedy. Parts of the city were razed by fighting between rebels and regime forces, and the city is slowly rising from its ruins. The Baba Amr and Khalidiyah neighbourhoods are now nothing more than concrete skeletons, but reconstruction is underway. Cafés are reappearing on the boulevards, children are playing in the streets—the same streets where snipers were shooting just a few years ago. Aleppo, a city with 2,000 years of history and once the country's economic capital, remains a huge construction site. The devastated old city is being rebuilt stone by stone. Craftsmen are returning and shops are reopening. Among the ruins, cranes stand tall, promising a better future. But the walls riddled with shrapnel are a reminder that peace remains fragile and mistrust has not yet disappeared. On the M5, the journey is also a journey through memory. Every kilometre recalls the years of war, but also the resilience of people who refuse to disappear. Post-Assad Syria is not yet at peace, but it is breathing again—slowly, painfully, with hope.
click to view the complete set of images in the archive
