COEXISTENCE
In nature, different states do not need to resolve themselves in order to share the same moment. They sit beside each other — sometimes related, sometimes opposed, sometimes simply neighboring — and what holds them together is not a story about who wins.
These images watch that. A glacier collapses. A seal does not move. Four zebras wait at a distance the elephant does not register. A rock endures what the ocean does to it; above the foam, birds play. Ice turns to water at no clear edge.
Each frame holds at least two states that refuse to give way to each other. The image does not arbitrate. It does not soften the contrast or argue that the opposites are secretly the same. They are not. What this body of work proposes — quietly, without raising its voice — is that coexistence does not require resolution. That two truths can sit in one frame and remain two. That the viewer is left to decide which truth carries more weight, or whether to carry both. The interpretation is not provided. It is what the viewer brings to the frame.
All works in this body of work are produced as limited editions by WhiteWall, Europe's leading partner for fine art production. Inquire for available sizes, editions, and pricing.
Axel Schmidtke — Sony World Photography Awards Shortlist 2026. Exhibited at Somerset House, London. Works held in private collections across Europe.
WATER — Africa
Four zebras hold their ground. The elephant fills half the frame without leaving it.
AFFAIRE D’ HONNEUR — Africa
Two rhinos meet horn to horn. The savanna keeps going around them.
RAW — Iceland
Rock endures. Sea attacks. Gulls play.
MELTING — Svalbard
Solid and dissolving share the same frame.
A glacier in Svalbard. A waterhole in Africa. A wave on Iceland.
The geography changes. The question does not.
THE COUPLE — Réunion
Two trees lean apart. Their roots meet underneath.
NEW LIFE — Hawaii
A tree grows from lava. The black does not soften.
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