Education
M.A. Photography (In progress) - Falmouth University (U.K.)
B.A Photography - Southern New Hampshire University (U.S.)
Biography
Olivier Desmet (b. 1973, Belgium) is a photographer and darkroom printer based in Mill Valley, California. Deeply influenced by the Japanese concept of mono no aware (the beauty of transience), his work offers viewers a quiet experience that invites introspection.
Over the years, he has developed a practice grounded in traditional darkroom techniques. For Desmet, a photograph is incomplete until it takes shape in the darkroom, where the nuance of tone and contrast brings emotional resonance and visual clarity to his work.
Desmet’s work has been widely recognized and featured in publications such as The Financial Times, Metropolis Japan, Tokyo Weekender, and The Southern Review. He has published three monographs to date: Mono no Aware (2021), an exploration of urban and natural 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 included in the permanent collection of the International Museum of Dance.
Artist Statement
The truth about my photography practice is that my primary goal is simply to produce work that I find beautiful. We currently live in a world of great turmoil. I hope that my work can provide a small moment of respite to those who view it. As such, I am drawn to subject matters that lend themselves to this aim.
I maintain a daily Zen mindfulness meditation practice, and photography is a direct extension of this practice. Both photographing and darkroom printing allow me to be entirely in the present and to minimise extraneous thoughts, which are basic objectives of Zen meditation. My studies in Zen have led me to learn about Japanese concepts rooted in Buddhist traditions. One such concept, Mono No Aware, has had a profound effect on my photography practice. Mono No Aware can be defined as the wistful appreciation for the fleeting beauty and impermanence of life. Visually capturing the beauty of transience is an important objective of my practice. Photography is the perfect medium for this: a photograph is a memory of a small moment in time that is forever lost.
Thematically, I am drawn to fleeting moments and cultural transitions; scenes on the edge of disappearance. My Japanese-themed projects reflect this interest. For example, my project "Portraits of Maiko" depicts a fast-disappearing facet of traditional Japanese culture.
I have a profound appreciation for the printed photograph, and in particular, for the gelatin silver process. A well-printed and toned gelatin silver print is a jewel-like work of art. In an increasingly digital world, I find great pleasure in producing tanglible darkroom prints.
Self portrait (passport photo) - 2025