Sometimes the press fully grasps the unique nature of an artistic approach. This is what WaWa Magazine did in its article published in June 2025, under the evocative title:
"The Imaginary Planets of a Visionary Photographer."
A sensitive, profound, and generous portrait, in which the magazine highlights my photographic world, my poetic approach, and the meaning I give to my work.
A wonderful artistic recognition from WaWa Magazine.
WaWa Magazine is well known for its inquisitive eye on artistic creation in Belgium, particularly in Walloon Brabant. For this publication to dedicate an entire article to my photographic work and my Imaginary Planets series is, in my eyes, a true sign of recognition.
The article focuses as much on my professional journey as on the artistic and ecological dimensions of my work.
The journalist describes my planets as worlds suspended between dream and reality, and detects in them a form of committed artistic vision: a look at our Earth, at its beauty, its fragility, and at what we can still preserve.
Photo of a mini planet in Walloon Brabant with the evocative title: My Heart
The common thread in my approach
What struck me about this article in Wawa Magazine is how it highlights what I try to express through my images:
“Each photographed planet seems 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 originated from a technical process (360° panoramic photography), but it extends far beyond a mere formal exercise. It becomes a narrative tool, a gateway to another world, and a mirror reflecting our contemporary concerns.
A faithful and well-documented portrait by Wawa Magazine
The article also revisits my professional journey, particularly my years in institutional and documentary photography, before I embraced a freer and more personal practice.
It discusses my beginnings as a press photographer, my collaborations with European institutions, and my desire, at a certain point, to reclaim my own perspective.
The article establishes a link between this professional transition and the creation of the Imaginary Planets series.
“Paul Marnef abandons the constraints of reportage to create bubbles of poetry, suspended microcosms, where each element—tree, shore, sky—becomes a character in its own right.”
This link seems essential to me: it is precisely by combining technical rigor, field experience, and compositional freedom that I was able to create this series.
Art photograph of a miniature planet showing the obelisk in Solvay Park in La Hulpe: Guardian of Time
Wawa Magazine pays particular attention to form.
What I also greatly appreciated about this publication is the precision with which Wawa Magazine addresses 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, often difficult to convey in writing, is well captured here.
The article also shows that the Imaginary Planets are not simply a visual effect, but rather a way of expressing a worldview.
It reads:
“These planets are not here to escape reality, but to look at it more closely. To see it differently. To preserve it.” »
A spotlight on exhibitions
The
Wawa Magazine article also mentions several significant events I've recently participated in:
This retrospective of my latest exhibitions demonstrates that my work circulates, travels, and finds its place in various contexts: galleries, fairs, artists' trails, and institutions.
Art photograph of a tiny planet in the Try-au-Chêne chapel in Walloon Brabant: Illuminated
Thank you to Wawa Magazine for this perspective.
I would like to thank the entire Wawa Magazine team for their attentive listening, insightful observations, and inspired writing.
This type of article breathes new life into my work. It places it within a dialogue, within a vibrant fabric. It demonstrates that art, even when born in a corner of the sky and a wheat field, can travel far, touch hearts, and provoke thought.
