“Deserts thrill us because they show us nature before man. They also show us what the world could be like after man has disappeared.” – Théodore Monod
Alfredo De Stefano is obsessed with deserts. Over the last several years, the contemporary Mexican photographer has visited arid landscapes all over the globe to create ethereal images that address the natural environment’s elemental significance and our relationship to the land. Employing ice, fire, and light, de Stefano creates enigmatic installations with both natural and manmade objects. The photos are collected under the title All of the deserts are my desert:
In my photographs from the last few years, I have intervened upon the landscape, creating scenes or sets with a wide range of natural and manmade elements. In this way, amidst the sometimes oppressive vastness, I construct and photograph intimate spaces: some of them are metaphors for the painful desertification of the planet caused by man, while others work as ironic allusions to our relationship with the desert.
You can view all of the photos from de Stefano’s ongoing desert project online.