Brooke Holm's Latest Photography Series Shot in the Namib Sand Sea.

Brooke Holm's Latest Photography Series Shot in the Namib Sand Sea | Yellowtrace

New York-based Australian/American photographer Brooke Holm travelled to Namibia to seek out the oldest desert in the world, the Namib Sand Sea. The result is her latest exhibition, Sand Sea, a series of 10 photographic landscapes on show at the Modern Times gallery in Fitzroy from March 21.

The desert expanse stretches for over 80,000 kilometres, dramatically diverse in composition despite being comprised predominantly of the same topography: sand. The dunes appear never-ending.

“Vast and inhospitable stretches of sand dunes transform under the African sun in stunning gradients of red, brown and pink. The transient nature of the dunes ensures that what you see one day will look different the next.”

Holm captures intricately formed ribbons and patterns amongst the magnitude of the dunes, formed over years and years from particles that blow in from the African hinterland and coast.

The aerial, relatively close-up perspective from which the photographs are captured allows the landscapes to remain anonymous while showing intimate details evocative of the human form. The works comprise of flesh tones that cascade and blend with one another, with shape defined by sunlight and shadow.

“On first glances, the photographs bear a resemblance to the human body, reminding me of our complicated relationship with nature and its magnetic pull on the human subconscious,” says Holm.

Framing the vast desert in such a way to capture fine details celebrates the smaller elements of a much larger picture. Holm traverses the globe, her work revering the sublime elements of nature and in turn, examining the human context within an environment.

Her subjects span dramatic natural landscapes, conceptual still life sets, and specific commissions for considered interiors and architecture. Sand Sea will exhibit at Modern Times until March 31, 2019.