Biography
Olivier Desmet (b. 1973, Belgium) is a photographer and darkroom printer in Mill Valley, California. Deeply influenced by the Japanese aesthetic philosophy of mono no aware, which emphasises the impermanence and fleeting beauty of things, his work evokes quiet introspection, centring on transience.
Desmet’s practice is rooted in traditional darkroom techniques. He considers a photograph incomplete until it is realised in the darkroom, where subtle gradations of tone and contrast give his work emotional depth and clarity.
Desmet’s work has been widely recognised and featured in publications including The Financial Times, Metropolis Japan, Tokyo Weekender, and The Southern Review. He has published three monographs: Mono no Aware (2021), exploring impermanence; Tsukiji (2022), a visual elegy to Tokyo’s historic fish market; and Marine Layer (2023), a meditation on the relationship between fog and light. His photograph, Ichiyuki-San Performs Kabuki Dance, from the Portraits of Maiko series, is part of the International Museum of Dance’s permanent collection.
Education
M.A. Photography (In progress) - Falmouth University
B.A. Photography -Southern New Hampshire University (Summa Cum Laude)
Artist Statement
Visually capturing the beauty of transience is the central objective of my practice. Influenced by artists who explored impermanence, such as Irving Penn and Masahisa Fukase, I consider photography to be an ideal medium: each photograph becomes a memory of a fleeting moment.
This perspective shapes my choice of subjects and informs my process: just as my work centers on ephemerality, my use of traditional printing techniques, such as the gelatin silver process, intentionally preserves transient moments in a lasting, physical form. I find fulfillment in producing tangible darkroom prints that embody this philosophy.
Self portrait - 2020