For the past fifteen years, Paul Marnef has been reinventing the world. Through his Imaginary Planets, this Belgian photographic artist offers a sensory and visual journey — somewhere between the poetry of reality and dreamlike abstraction. His work, at the intersection of photographic experimentation and quiet contemplation, explores both natural and urban landscapes to reveal a new perspective: lighter, more intimate, and at times, almost cosmic.
Though Paul Marnef has worked in photography for 45 years, his turn toward artistic creation developed gradually. After a long career in press agencies in France and Belgium, followed by institutional and corporate photography, he was drawn into a new form of expression: 360° panoramas and virtual tours. From these experiments emerged his first "planets" — visual creations in relief, shaped by a personal technique. Some are made from a single photograph, a feat made possible by his expert command of post-production, where light, contrast, and color become the tools of a digital painter.
His world is nourished above all by nature: landscapes, flowers, the sea… but also, on occasion, urban settings when a surprising composition catches his eye. His approach often begins with chance — a walk, a fleeting place, a sudden light. Then come the “trial and error” phases, essential to his process. He discards, refines, begins again. For Paul Marnef, a successful image doesn’t arrive fully formed; it reveals itself through persistence and precision.
Though he doesn’t claim to be an activist or convey overt messages, his work carries a deep tenderness for the planet. Some of his pieces explore memory and tribute, such as To Those Who Watch Over, created at the Henri-Chapelle American Cemetery on the eve of the 80th anniversary of the Armistice. Or Tribute to Life and Absence, inspired by a wall of painted hearts in London honoring pandemic victims. These quiet gestures, filled with emotion, reflect a respect for life and an attentiveness to the silences of history.
But it is perhaps in intentional lightness that Paul Marnef’s uniqueness truly lies. He doesn’t aim to deliver messages at all costs. He wants to bring a smile, surprise, move — like in this touching anecdote: during an augmented reality demonstration of his piece Hope and Waiting, a viewer burst into tears, twice, overwhelmed with emotion. A rare moment he treasures.
Always curious about new artistic dimensions, he now experiments with relief creation and augmented reality, dreaming of installations — whispering a playful “shhh,” as if to keep the mystery alive. He moves at his own pace, with an open spirit: “I want to gently move toward contemporary art and installations,” he says. Off the beaten path, he traces a journey that reflects who he is — beyond the frame, beyond conventions.
If Paul Marnef were to be placed within a tradition, it might be within Belgian surrealism — though he approaches it with humility and a sense of humor. One student anecdote says it all: hanging fish on a clothesline to subvert a mandatory assignment — a rebellious spark in his free-spirited mind. As he puts it, “Surrealism is being free in your head, in your creation, in how you express yourself.” A definition he fully embodies.
In Belgium, he values simplicity in human relationships, self-deprecating humor, and the lightness so characteristic of artists from the flat country. This spirit is felt in his creations — both accessible and mysterious, dreamlike and technical, rooted in reality yet always ready to take flight.
His outlook on today’s art world is clear-eyed: the biggest challenge, he says, is simple — “Sell, sell, and sell.” High-quality printing, relief production, and experimentation are expensive. Exhibiting isn’t enough; one must persuade, move, and captivate collectors, curators, and galleries.
And yet, he continues. Because creating, he says, is “doing things I once thought impossible.” Because every viewer encounter, every finished image, every fresh idea is a victory. And because, perhaps somewhere out there, an unknown planet is still waiting to be discovered.
