Michelle Blancke uses photography as a painter might use a brush – adjusting composition, light and framing to shift perception. Her images dissolve the boundary between real and imagined, presenting landscapes charged with energy and mystery. Tangled undergrowth takes over tree roots, hanging over branches like something from a fairytale. The Aesthetica Art Prize-shortlisted artist reflects on reality as layered and elusive, encouraging viewers to see the world anew. Her series Secret Garden is an ongoing project, which has been exhibited across Europe, including being awarded third prize at the BBA Photo Prize. The work opens up portals to another world. Blancke spoke to Aesthetica about how she meticulously uses the lens as a way to preserve moments of wonder and introspection.
A: Tell us about how you started working behind the lens?
MB: I turned to photography as a way to reconnect with something essential, beyond the noise of daily life. Walking alone through quiet places in nature almost as meditation, I began to see the camera as an extension of my perception. It allows me to explore the boundaries between what is visible and what is sensed or felt. My work grew from this desire to translate inner states into visual form. A quest to reveal the hidden layers of reality that exist beneath the surface of the everyday.
A: You’ve been described as using photography like a painter uses a brush. Can you walk us through this process? How do you build an image from concept to final piece?
MB: My process begins when I’m outside, gathering fragments of nature and light. Later, in post-processing, I look closely at what I captured: structures, shapes, textures. I treat the digital canvas much like a painter’s surface, manipulating tones and colours to uncover something that feels both real and imaginary. Each image becomes an exploration of what was there and what I sensed in that moment. This is an experiment where I rely on intuition as well as conscious reflection.
A: You’re drawn to mythology, fantasy and spirituality. How do these stories influence your work?
MB: Mythological and spiritual narratives fascinate me because they reflect the limits of human understanding. They open up a realm of possibilities and reveal our longing to reach beyond what we can comprehend. In my work, I try to visualise the space between the known and unknown, that what we can see and how we feel there is more. Light and darkness play a role: illumination as revelation, shadow as mystery. These stories remind me that every landscape can be both real and imagined, every image a portal to something larger than ourselves.
A: Secret Garden acts as a “portal”, inviting audiences into another realm. What do you hope viewers take away from the series?
MB: Secret Garden was born from long walks through forests and forgotten places, where thoughts turn into silence. I try to tune into a deeper awareness. An energy that feels both ancient and alive. When I revisit the images later, I experience that same sense of wonder again, as if rediscovering something sacred. My hope is that viewers feel invited to cross that threshold too. To pause, breathe and reconnect with their own inner worlds. If my work can evoke that moment of recognition, then the circle is complete.
A: Who, or what, are your biggest creative inspirations?
MB: I’m drawn to artists who merge the natural world and the transcendent. Anselm Kiefer’s layered materiality, Georgia O’Keeffe’s sensual forms, and Ansel Adams’ devotion to nature’s sublime stillness. In film and literature, I find parallel worlds that question reality itself, such as The Matrix, The Lord of the Rings, Neil Gaiman’s Sandman, and Mythos by Stephen Fry. Music also plays a role: the raw emotion of Nick Cave, the voice of Aurora. They remind me that art can be a mirror and an opening to something beyond.
The Aesthetica Art Prize Exhibition 2025 is at York Art Gallery until 25 January.
michelleblancke.nl | yorkartgallery.org.uk
Find out more about the Aesthetica Art Prize 2025 Shortlist here.
Words: Emma Jacob & Michelle Blancke.
Image Credits:
All images courtesy of Michelle Blancke.
