Photographer Gilles Desrozier is an Edge of Humanity Magazine contributor of this photo essay. From the series ‘Fata Morgana’. To see Gilles’s body of work, click on any photograph.

Fata Morgana 001 – 2021
Composite – France

Fata Morgana 086 – 2023
Composite – France

Fata Morgana 066 – 2023
Composite – France

Fata Morgana 084 – 2023
Composite – France

The “Fata Morgana” series began in 2021. The idea for this series first began to take shape during the first lockdown. It was born out of the frustration of no longer being able to travel or exhibit my work for two years. A fata morgana is an optical effect that creates a mirage where light rays pass through a thermal gradient in the atmosphere, usually above a large body of water. This phenomenon was sometimes observed near the Strait of Messina, and sailors poetically attributed it to the fairy Morgana (Fata Morgana in Italian).

As a result of being unable to travel, I found myself lost in strange daydreams. I wandered through idyllic landscapes, enveloped in a soothing sense of well-being. I soon felt the need to “bring my dreams to life.” Familiar with the famous Arthurian legend of the fairy Morgan le Fay, the name for this new series just felt right. It highlighted the lyrical aspect of travel—that delightful music that transports you elsewhere, both literally and figuratively, whether by plane or in the mind. This brings to mind Gilles Deleuze, who hated geographical travel but journeyed far into his inner self.

Fata Morgana 004 – 2021
Composite – France

Fata Morgana 025 – 2021
Composite – France

Fata Morgana 048 – 2021
Composite – France

Fata Morgana 092 – 2024
Composite – France

Fata Morgana 094 – 2024
Composite – France

Artist’s Statement

Forty years of photography, twenty-two series. This persistent no man’s land. From the greenhouse to the zone: I have built a world. Neither documentary nor fiction: a grammar between the egg and agony. Photography becomes fabric, an imprint, a tapestry; haunted by time. I sometimes accompany my images with a poetic text. I also create videos. I create my images without the use of AI.

Biography

Gilles Desrozier lives and works in Paris. He creates his allegories using techniques specific to printmaking. He is interested in animism and ancient customs and explores the origins of the world. His finished work always resembles the description of a dream, the revelation of a state of being. Gilles Desrozier is planning a trip to Louisiana to work on the bayous, voodoo, Mound Bayou, and Native Americans.

All images and text © Gilles Desrozier