Be-Part Waregem presents the images of photographer Thomas Nolf, capturing the allure of aviation in his new exhibition
"As Real As It Gets," from March 15 to May 18 at Be-Part Waregem
Be-Part Waregem presents "As Real As It Gets," a solo exhibition by photographer Thomas Nolf (born in 1986 in Kortrijk, lives and works in Ghent).
The exhibition, accompanied by a book of the same name published by Art Paper Editions, explores the human need to escape through the lens of aeronautical culture. Between 2020 and 2024, Thomas Nolf travelled the world, visited various airports, met flight simulator pilots in their homes, and explored the world’s largest model airport, located at Miniatur Wunderland in Hamburg.
In the exhibition, Nolf combines photographs, simulated images, text fragments, and personal archives from his youth. An impressive flight simulator installation allows visitors to follow the final flight of an 82-year-old flight simulator pilot.
The project began five years ago, during the COVID-19 lockdown, when Thomas Nolf reconnected with his childhood dream of becoming a pilot. At that time, he installed the latest version of Microsoft Flight Simulator on his computer and embarked on a virtual journey. The memory of the slogan "As Real as it Gets," printed on the Flight Simulator 1998 box, inspired him to seek out other flight simulator pilots and plane spotters. People who, like him, never became pilots but found a way to keep their dream alive.
Thomas Nolf’s work explores the romantic and dreamlike appeal of aviation. His precise compositions and color corrections evoke the stylized, almost surreal aesthetics of video games, cinema, and advertising. Through this approach, he navigates between fiction and reality, questioning the idealized notion of escape and the artificial nature of photography.
As Real As It Gets is therefore not just a window into the world of aviation enthusiasts, but also a mirror reflecting our own quest for freedom. By portraying individuals—aviation enthusiasts—seeking to escape their daily routines, Thomas Nolf draws a parallel with his own journey. He recognizes himself in the quest for liberation of others. For him, his photographic travels abroad represent a romantic escape, a "new dream" that replaces his former ambition of becoming a pilot.
I try to immerse myself in the work, both visually through archival material from my youth and by adding journal fragments from the creative process. These are cinematic passages that offer a glimpse of myself, my own quest, but also that of the individuals I have met and observed. It is from that dialogue that I have tried to portray the fleeing Western individual. Fleeing, without exactly knowing why or where to, as Arnon Grunberg describes so well in his book. In sharp contrast with the true refugee, who flees from war.
— Thomas Nolf
Flight simulator pilots are passionate about building a cockpit at home. Some install multiple screens on their desk, while others use real aircraft parts to create a cocoon around them. This setup gives them an opportunity to escape from their often-challenging daily lives. With its many switches and procedures, the cockpit provides a sense of structure, autonomy, and control. In this immersive pseudo-reality, they are the captains. Some even believe they could land a real plane in reality.
Unlike flight simulator pilots, plane spotters do not move through a virtual world but observe, document, and photograph aircraft with great precision. Thomas Nolf discovered these enthusiasts through spotterguide.net, a site that provides detailed information for spotters and aviation lovers, including the best observation spots, photography tips, and other practical details. The images of Maho Beach in Sint Maarten, for example, are breathtaking. This site is iconic for adventurous spotters who stand in the jet blast of approaching planes. Against a backdrop of turquoise waters and blue skies, they feel the adrenaline of planes flying at very low altitudes over the beach, just before landing a hundred meters away.
EXHIBITION
Thomas Nolf
As Real As It Gets
Opening on March 15: 2:30 pm - 6:30 pm
March 15 – May 18, 2025
Be-Part Waregem
Gemeenteplein 12
8790 Waregem, Belgium
Curator: Lara Verlinde
PUBLICATION
The exhibition at Be-Part Waregem is accompanied by the publication of a book by Art Paper Editions.
- Edition and design: Thomas Nolf & Jurgen Maelfeyt
- Text: Thomas Nolf, Arnon Grunberg
- Publisher: Art Paper Editions (A.P.E.)
- ISBN: 9789083438481
- Details: 200 pages, hardcover, 24 × 30 cm
- Price: €40
More information here
About Thomas Nolf
Thomas Nolf graduated in 2018 with a master’s degree in photography from the Royal Academy of Fine Arts (KASK) in Ghent. His photographs have been shown in exhibitions such as Next Generation Please at BOZAR in Brussels (2016) and Photobook Belge at FOMU in Antwerp (2019). Following a four-year project in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Nolf published the book Peculiar Artifacts in Bosnia & Herzegovina: An Imaginary Exhibition with Art Paper Editions. In 2020, he won the Stimulans competition in Kortrijk. During the winter of 2023–2024, Thomas Nolf took up an artist residency at Be-Part and rhizome_Kortrijk.
About Be-Part
Be-Part is a platform for contemporary visual arts in West Flanders and an international laboratory for the creation and presentation of contemporary art.
Focused on contemporary visual art, Be-Part pays attention to crossovers and interactions with other disciplines, presenting the diversity of contemporary art. The platform aims to introduce the public to recent developments and debates in the art world. Be-Part selects, supports, and offers development opportunities to artistic talents, presenting their work and helping, whenever possible, to launch them on the international scene. Since July 1, 2018, Be-Part has been an inter-municipal association with activities in both Waregem and Kortrijk.
Selection of photos
