Hylonicum

Light and its residues, by Nicola Polloni

Iterations

Ostende

During my years in Leuven, Ostende was my escape – the place I went to breathe. The Belgian coast is one long horizontal: sea, beach, seawall, apartment façades, inhabited in every season by bathers, walkers, and those who simply wait. These photographs were made across repeated visits, in sun and in grey. The coast here is a line of leisure and erosion, construction and waiting, where the horizon does all the work.

Ostende beach with sea in the foreground, small figures in the water, and a row of seafront apartment buildings.
Low view across rippled sand on the Belgian coast, with distant figures and hazy buildings on the horizon.
Row of small sailboats lined up on the beach, with masts repeating against the sea and sky.
Belgian coast warning sign reading “Pas op! Drijfzand”, with dunes and an abandoned-looking building behind it.
Wide beach on the Belgian coast with seafront buildings, sand, and clouds above the promenade.
Long shoreline view with small figures walking on wet sand beside the sea and distant buildings.
Broad Belgian beach with scattered people and a long line of modern seafront apartment blocks.
Harbour view of Ostende with buildings, church towers, piers, and water in the foreground.
Large folded metal sculptures on a Belgian seafront square, with people walking nearby.
Sailboat on the water near Ostende harbour, with cranes, industrial structures, and sunlight on the sea.
Ostende pier and small lighthouse with construction cranes and buildings in the background.
Wide view across water and rocks towards the Ostende skyline and harbour entrance.
Belgian beach with tall seafront buildings, scattered figures, tents, and open sand.
Long groyne or breakwater extending towards the sea, with people walking along it and wet sand on both sides.
Stacked sculptural form on the beach, with the sea and groynes behind it.
Close view of a large seaside statue with birds resting on its head, shoulders, and arms.
Seafront sculpture of a bent figure inside a circular frame, with the sea behind it.
Ostende beach with walkers and sunbathers in front of tall apartment buildings and a large tower.
Belgian beach with rows of seafront apartment blocks and scattered groups of people on the sand.
Two figures standing in shallow sea water on the Belgian coast, with small waves crossing the frame.

Places and dates
Ostende, 2021–2023; Blankenberge, De Haan, and Westende, 2022.