Aesthetica Magazine – Behind the Lens: 2024 in Photography

Every year, Aesthetica Magazine showcases exceptional emerging photographers and world-renowned names and 2024 was no different. We’ve shared some of the most exciting talent on the art scene, from otherworldly landscapes to striking portraits. They showed viewers the joy on everyday moments, redefined familiar landscapes and challenged traditional notions of beauty. Here, we bring you a selection of lens-based artists from throughout the year. 

Issue 119 – Beyond Portraiture

For Neal Grundy, a contemporary image-maker who specialises in still life and freeze motion techniques, every movement matters. Each of his Fabric Forms pictures is unique because it captures a split second that can never be recreated. It would be impossible to re-orchestrate such a delicate balance of folds in mid-flight. Here, turquoise, purple and orange sheets flutter against matching studio backdrops. Viewers might suddenly find themselves anthropomorphising their shapes; the cloths, at certain angles, can look like a person caught whilst dancing.

Issue 117 – Pictures from Above

Tom Hegen’s photographs are taken as he flies us over the rolling hills of the Palouse region, an area of the American northwest that spans over 3,000 miles. Endless green fields fill every inch of these frames. At a quick glance, the landscape looks likes the folds of moss-coloured fabric, but, on closer inspection, subtle whorls left by tractor trails reveal that humans have cultivated the land. “The fertile soil is a result of ancient volcanic activity and erosion over thousands of years” explains Hegen. “These crops help diversify the agricultural landscape and provide economic stability to the region.” 

Issue 117 – Visual Histories

“Without effort no harvest will be abundant.” It’s a fundamental message, and one of many African proverbs at the heart of Derrick Ofosu Boateng’s practice. Boateng calls this approach Hueism: “self-expression through colour therapy and visual poetry.” Figures hold balloons or flowers, making shapes in tandem against blue, red and yellow blocks. Each teaches a lesson, from humility and modesty to patience. “Launching an art movement is a powerful way to share your message, and, in my case, to address the misinterpretation of Africa. It’s not just a declaration; it’s a call to participate.”

Issue 118 – Places Transform

Olivia Lavergne is interested in how rainforests are conjured in the public imagination. As such, her images are not tied to a particular place; instead, they transport us to unnamed tropical lands rich in colour and texture.  Tangles of lush, verdant leaves, ripe berries and hills are cast in light and shadow. The French photographer is dedicated to assembling the perfect scene: she travels to and explores locations on foot, eventually finding a spot to set down flash bulbs, stage lighting and lenses. A whole studio is built, then deconstructed, on location. “It’s a bit like bringing nature into the theatre,” she says.

Issue 119 – Led by Narrative

Jonas Hafner, a hospital doctor based in Hamburg, is recognized for narrative-driven depictions of people and places. Each scene unfolds as if part of a storybook, from figures lying amidst beet leaves to eyes peering through sky blue garden gates. Hafner excels at creating a palpable sense of mood and every image evokes a different emotion or ambiance. some are dark, brooding and mournful, with subjects stepping out into cool waters or shrouded in the dark shadow of buildings. Others are playful and experimental – relishing in the freedom of youth, sunlight and green open fields.

Issue 116 – Beyond Portraiture

“There has always been a narrow definition of beauty in the fashion industry,” says Lagos-based photographer Morgan Otagburuagu. “This inspired me to explore unconventional, in-your-face portraiture; the kind you wouldn’t see in a traditional beauty portrait.” The artist is passionate about standing up against colourism, amplifying the beauty of dark skin and honoring stories of trailblazing Black women. His pictures are also deeply personal. After losing both parents in 2021, Otagburuagu began to incorporate flowers as symbols of grief, mourning, rebirth and celebration.

Issue 120 – Analogue Experiment

Marta Djourina’s work follows in a long tradition of intersecting art and science to push the medium forwards. Her images experiment with how nature and artificial light affect photo-sensitive media. She traces movements, gestures and objects onto analogue paper; the results are dynamic, where yellow slashes through black, purple folds into blue and red rectangles resemble a Mark Rothko painting. In the work, the ephemeral becomes fixed and motion is paused in a mesmerising blur. Djourina’s projects span small format pictures to monumental scrolls that extend upwards of six-meters-high.

Issue 121 – Sense of Detachment

Bootsy Holler is best-known for her work as a portraitist, beginning with intimate depictions of herself and friends at the centre of Seattle’s pivotal music scene during the early 1990s. The artist positions nature as a grounding place and a way back to her body. The series Without Words, sidesteps into conceptualism, the photographs making way for personal thoughts and feelings. There is a surreal sense of being a distant observer, watching a figure lost in forests, marshes, fields, rocks and open water. “What might have started as despair now represents hope,” she says.

Issue 121 – Details Up Close

Lotte Lisa Ekkel is a self-taught photographer who lives and works in Amsterdam, making poetic and intuitive images without a predetermined plan. Her main goal: to take away the noise of the city and help us see “the magnificence of everyday life.” She seeks stillness and beauty, zeroing in on seemingly insignificant moments that often go by unnoticed. Eksel’s subjects include singular leaves, moonlit raindrops and eerie, solitary tree branches. In one shot, bright marigold yellows contract with hot black tarmac. In another, deep blue reflections ripple against lily pads, reminiscent of a Monet painting.

Issue 122 – Power of Expression

Anne Nobels’ series, Outside the Lines, takes its name from the idea of a person who isn’t afraid to do things a little differently. It’s a body of work about mental health, depicting the artist curled up along forms or exposed on the shoreline. “Anxiety heightens all of my senses, which makes daily tasks difficult because I’m overwhelmed with information,” Nobels explains. “It’s easy to get stick in the bad, but, when I feel good, my head is free to wander and play. Life is more intense and beautiful.” In challenging herself to be vulnerable in her photos, Nobels encourages the audiences to dare to be more open as well.

Image Credits:

1. Fares Micue, Embracing the Night. Image courtesy of the artist.
2. Neal Grundy, from Dancing Fabrics (2021).
3. Neal Grundy, from Dancing Fabrics (2021).
4. Tom Hegen, from The Parlouse Series (2021).
5. Derrick Ofosu Boateng, Le Sourire, (2018-2019).
6. Derrick Ofosu Boateng, You Are One in a Melon, (2020).
7. Olivia Lavergne, from Jungles (2013). Fine Art Print Hahnemüle, 100 x 100 cm.
8. Image courtesy of Jonas Hafner.
9. Image courtesy of Jonas Hafner.
10. Morgan Otaguburuagu, In Bloom. (2023). Courtesy of the artist and Doyle Wham.
11. Marta Djourina, Untitled, from the series Folds, (2020-2023). Repros by Marie Merger, André Carvalho and Tuba Carvalho – CHROMA.
12. Marta Djourina, Untitled, from the series Folds, (2020-2023). Repros by Marie Merger, André Carvalho and Tuba Carvalho – CHROMA.
13. Bootsy Holler, Cattle Point – 0824.2002, (2002-2021). Courtesy of the artist.
14. Lotte Ekkel, Crossroad Montreal, (2022). Image courtesy of the artist.
15. Lotte Ekkel, Guatemala Yellow, (2021). Image courtesy of the artist.
16. Anne Nobels, from Outside the Lines. Image courtesy of the artist.