LA RÉUNION – Galleries

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LA RÉUNION

Madagascar Baobab Avenue

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The Otherlands photographic series is a meditative exploration of space, time, and perception. Using the form of roundshots — circular panoramic photographs — landscapes appear not as mere backdrops, but as breathing, changing spaces of experience. Whether it is a dense forest, a pulsating market, or an urban cityscape, each place is experienced as an immersive continuum rather than a snapshot. The panoramic view replaces the classic central perspective with an experiential cartography of the surroundings. Rather than being guided, the gaze is invited to orient itself independently. What is particularly impressive is the way these images combine time and spatial depth: people move through markets, light falls through trees, and urban structures blur on the horizon. Everything becomes part of a flowing overall picture. These photographic works encourage viewers to immerse themselves in the landscape rather than viewing it from a distance.

The panoramic shots thus serve as visual spaces of memory, fuelled by the notion that places can be mapped not only geographically, but also emotionally. These photographic works invite viewers to enter the landscape rather than observe it from afar. The panoramic format becomes a repository of memory, shaped by the idea that places are mapped not only geographically but also emotionally. Distinct national sensibilities emerge across the series. In Germany, discreet views of the Dachau concentration camp disclose their identity only upon close examination—through a watchtower or distant horizon line. In England, overlapping panoramic shots of Brighton beach contrast with documentary scenes of daily seaside life. In Madagascar, a bustling market and the Allées des Baobabs appear through a veil of mist, their outlines blurred into suggestion.

On La Réunion, documentary photographs record the volcanic terrain—its barren rock, its visitors, and the clarity of the sky above the clouds. In Texas, attention turns to Marfa, where Donald Judd’s outdoor installations merge with the desert. The photographs show the barracks that house his work and the concrete forms integrated into the landscape. In Vietnam, overlapping panoramic views capture dense urban scenes—fish markets in Hoi An and streets in Hanoi—layered to evoke simultaneous moments of everyday life. In Jamaica, where photographing people is often unwelcome, the images linger instead on vivid houses and empty streets. In Spain, the focus shifts to interior detail—crucifixes and wall ornaments rendered with documentary precision—and to a panoramic of the Corrida de Toros in Granada, assembled through overlapping exposures.