Inner Landscapes of an Uncluttered Soul by Luca Tombolini

This is a collection of photos taken in Morocco by a Milan-based photographer, Luca Tombolini. Luca travels to deserts across the world with his large-format camera capturing landscapes full of a pristine and mysterious charm.

My work consist of photographing landscapes during long solo trips in remote desert areas. Taking a long time to travel is essential to revert to a more essential state of mind. When there, I’m facing basic life needs and I slowly drift back to our primeval link with Nature from which we generated. I rely rather unconsciously on my vision and emotions while making the necessary choices about what to photograph and how; this, along with the use of the large format medium makes the whole process extremely slow and meditative.

I noticed through the years that I'm greatly attracted by pureness and simplicity. What I'm seeking into the landscape then becomes a mirror of what my Self might be. To this extent, these landscapes are a visual representation of a part of my being, and my work as a whole is the path of my individuation process.

Getting rid of our social mask brings our mind closer to ancestral times, when man could only rely on his Unconscious to cope with phenomena. Modern times and the scientific method now overshadow a time when myths and spiritual insight were ascendant. What is the result of this condition? Knowledge or alienation from the Self? Are modern comforts and new values tearing us away from our bond with Nature and the understanding of life cycles? How valuable then are self referencing cultural structures if they are just held together by values oblivious of their origin?