In June 2025, WaWa Magazine published a feature on my Imaginary Planets. In it, I find themes that run through my work: landscape, the imagination and the way we inhabit the world. Here, I share what this encounter with the press means to me, along with a link to the original article.
The press offers one way to encounter my work; discovering my images online offers another. I explore this in my personal account of the visibility of my Imaginary Planets on Google.
A wonderful artistic accolade from wawa magazine
WaWa Magazine is well known for its inquisitive take on the creative scene in Belgium, particularly in Walloon Brabant. The fact that this publication has devoted an entire article to my photographic work and my ‘Imaginary Planets’ series is, in my view, a true mark of recognition.
The article focuses as much on my professional career as on the artistic and ecological dimensions of my works.
In the article, the journalist describes my planets as worlds suspended between dream and reality, and discerns in them a form of committed artistic vision: a perspective on our Earth, on its beauty, its fragility, and on what we can still preserve.
The common thread running through my work
What struck me about this article in Wawa Magazine was the way it highlights what I am trying to express through my images:
‘Each planet photographed seems to want to whisper a story to us, often gentle, sometimes melancholic, always essential.’
These words resonate deeply with my intention: to offer a poetic vision of the world, but also to awaken consciences, through gentleness, metaphor and wonder.
The Imaginary Planets series grows out of a technical process (360° panoramic photography), yet it reaches far beyond a mere formal exercise. It becomes a narrative tool, a gateway to another world and a mirror of our contemporary concerns.
A faithful and well-researched portrait by wawa magazine
The article also looks back at my professional career, particularly my years in institutional and documentary photography, before I moved towards a freer and more personal practice.
It discusses my early days as a press photographer, my collaborations with European institutions, and my desire, at a certain point, to reclaim my own perspective.
The article draws a link between this professional transition and the creation of the ‘Imaginary Planets’ series.
‘Paul Marnef leaves behind the constraints of photojournalism to conjure up bubbles of poetry, suspended microcosms, where every element – tree, shore, sky – becomes a character in its own right.’
This connection strikes me as essential: it is precisely by combining technical rigour, practical experience and freedom of composition that I have been able to create this series.
Wawa Magazine pays particular attention to form
What I also greatly appreciated about this publication was the precision with which WaWa Magazine addressed the visual aspect of my work in its article.
The journalist discusses spherical images, immersive composition, ChromaLuxe, relief prints, and the interplay between photography, graphic design and abstraction.
This visual dimension, which is often difficult to convey in writing, is well captured here.
The article also shows that the Imaginary Planets are not merely a visual effect, but rather a means of expressing a worldview.
It reads:
‘These planets are not there to escape reality, but to look at it more closely. To see it differently. To preserve it.’
Spotlight on my exhibitions
The article in Wawa Magazine also mentions several notable events in which I have recently taken part:
• the Grez-Doiceau Artists’ Trail,
• the ‘This Is Not Belgium’ exhibition in Lasne,
• my appearances at art fairs such as Art3f and the Affordable Art Fair.
This retrospective of my most recent exhibitions demonstrates that my work circulates, travels and finds its place in various contexts: galleries, art fairs, artists’ journeys and institutions.
Thanks to Wawa Magazine for this insight
I would like to thank the whole team at WaWa Magazine for their attentiveness, their discerning eye and their inspired writing.
This sort of article breathes life into my work. It places it within a dialogue, within a living tapestry. It shows that art, even when born from a patch of sky and a field of wheat, can travel far, touch hearts and provoke thought.
To read the full article in Wawa Magazine:
WaWa Magazine – The Imaginary Planets of a Visionary Photographer
Discover the works available in fine art finishes
The Imaginary Planets are available in several professional finishes: Fine Art prints, ChromaLuxe, Diachrome or other media depending on the artwork. Each print is produced as a limited edition, signed, numbered and accompanied by a certificate of authenticity.
To continue your exploration
Would you like to find out more about a work or how it is presented? Please write to me to discuss it. You can also explore other topics on the fine art photography blog.
See also: The Creation of the Imaginary Planets: from the real landscape to the photographic work; An artists’ trail in Walloon Brabant: encounters and tips for visitors.