Aesthetica Magazine Issue 129

February / March

Our view of the world frames what might unfold. When we approach life with curiosity and openness, even the ordinary can surprise us. Small shifts in how we see – a pause, turn or quiet attention – awaken ideas and invite unexpected wonder. An optimistic, imaginative mindset has the power to foster ambitious thinking, empathy and possibility. In this space between vision and action, anything feels within reach.

Inside this issue, we turn outward, exploring the intricate dialogue between the natural and constructed. From sweeping vistas and the intimate contours of built-up cities, to untouched terrain and carefully crafted interventions, this issue examines the spaces we inhabit and shape. Architecture, design and environmental consciousness converge, revealing how human intention and organic form influence one another. Highlights include Ka Me Ra: Modern Japanese Architecture Through the Photographer’s Lens, which celebrates precision and poetic minimalism in post-war Japanese buildings, captured with remarkable clarity and intimacy; and Michelle Piergoelam’s Across the Water, which navigates the fluid currents between identity, memory and place, focusing on untold Surinamese stories. There are also underwater images by Narelle Autio, part of a fresh compendium of photography from Australia and New Zealand.

In photography, we showcase the distinctive visions of Anastasia Mihaylova, Elena Paraskeva, Gjert Rognli, Henri Blommers, Lotte Ekkel and Marie Dreezen. Paraskeva, our cover photographer, demonstrates remarkable creativity, turning imaginary scenes into luminous compositions. Each artist explores the interplay between environment, light and presence – transforming observation into insight and encouraging us to reconsider how we see the world. Though their approaches differ, their work is united by a shared enquiry: how we occupy, interpret and leave our mark on this place we call home. Finally, The Last Words go to Jane Evelyn Atwood, Deutsche Börse Photography Foundation Prize 2026 shortlistee.

Cherie Federico

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Vacant Shorelines

Marie Dreezen’s The Bluest of Days is a standout photography collection in which sandy beaches, rendered in blue, are floodlit by spectral shapes.

Framing Structures

How nine photographers have shaped visions of Japan’s post-war architecture, whilst offering new and innovative suggestions for the genre’s future.

Oceanic Immersion

Striking underwater pictures feature in a brand new compendium dedicated to contemporary image-makers from across Australia and New Zealand.

Garden in Bloom

Experimenting with analogue cameras to capture dreamlike, sun-dappled pictures of plants, petals and leaves that seem to drift in and out of sharp focus.

Ethereal Landscape

Environmental art, photography and sculpture come together in Gjert Rognli’s images, which are inspired by the shifting seasons across northern Norway.

Urban Vignettes

Lotte Ekkel creates interesting crops of buildings and brings details into focus, harnessing natural light as a subject and guide when making pictures in the city.

Power of Nature

Portraits visualise the deep connection between bodies and nature, with subjects nestling within mossy forests and high up mountainous peaks.

Tales of Resilience

Michelle Piergoelam retells crucial Surinamese oral histories, which are rooted in hope, through atmospheric visual storytelling methodologies.

Stylised Constructs

Elena Paraskeva is a conceptual photographer who embraces Surrealism to construct thought provoking compositions in beauty and fine art.