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Thomas Nolf

@thomasnolf

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Photographer
Books: ‘As Real As It Gets’ and ‘Peculiar artifacts in Bosnia and Herzegovina’ @artpapereditions

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solo exhibition ´As Real As It Gets’ at the library of CC Wevelgem (Be)

07.09 - 16.10

It’s great to show the work just a km away from the airport of Kortrijk-Wevelgem. The place were I grew up, and where the story of my book begins.

Note: the library itself is an excellent location for airplane spotting, as the flight path of arriving aircraft passes directly over the building.

@wevelgem_cultuur @instituteartist
@bepart_platform @artpapereditions taken in Wevelgem by @thomasnolf

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20 days ago

Publication in Italian magazine @internazionale
✍️ Burkhard Bilger, The New Yorker taken in Italy by @thomasnolf

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a month ago

🇰🇷 ‘As Real As It Gets’ in Marie Claire Korea 🇰🇷
@marieclairekorea @instituteartist taken in Korea by @thomasnolf

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a month ago

‘As Real As It Gets’ featured in Marie Claire Korea, Augustus 2026 issue.

@marieclairekorea
@instituteartist

interview

Q: This project began during the COVID-19 pandemic, at a time when lockdowns were being enforced across regions worldwide, as a way of recalling a childhood dream of wanting to become a pilot. How did this personal wish develop into a project shared with many people?
A: When I reinstalled Microsoft Flight Simulator (the flight simulation game) during lockdown, it was, at first, nothing more than a small pleasure to enjoy at home. From my desk in my room, I was able to fly to New York, to Alaska, to Seoul. In that process, I realized just how exhilarating the feeling of flying somewhere is, and how much we miss traveling. And then, quite by chance, I came across the phrase printed on the box of this surprisingly realistic virtual game — “As Real As It Gets.” That’s where this project began. I sought out people connected to aviation in one way or another — aircraft spotters, model-aircraft builders, and people who gather at the end of runways just to watch planes take off and land — and explored, through photography, humanity’s shared longing for movement, escape, and freedom.

Swipe to continue reading

Q: Rather than focusing on the aircraft itself, the project is directed toward people who dream of flying. How did you go about finding people connected to aviation?
A: During COVID-19, I found forums and simulator communities online. There, people had spent years building extraordinarily elaborate cockpits inside their own homes. As soon as lockdowns lifted, I visited and photographed several of them. Discovering a Boeing cockpit set up in a corner of an ordinary house was both surreal and fascinating work. The crowds gathered at Maho Beach in Saint-Martin, in the Caribbean, also captivated me. Famous as one of the best places to watch aircraft land and take off up close, this beach draws people not because they are leaving or arriving somewhere, but because they want to experience the sheer physical presence of an aircraft passing seemingly just above their heads. What struck me was that whether someone was building their own cockpit, pho taken in South Korea by @thomasnolf

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2 months ago

I’m honored to be shortlisted by the Royal Photographic Society for the International Photography Exhibition 167. The jury has shortlisted anonymously 318 photographers from 41 countries.

Many thanks to the jury @jaskirtdhaliwalboora , @lydiagoldblatt , @maxgorbatskyi @irenelombardo , @mikeyp1839

@royalphotographicsociety
#IPE167Shortlist #IPE167ShortlistedPhotographer by @thomasnolf

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5 months ago

Featured in the winter issue of the great @tankmagazine !

Happy Endings
By Nell Whittaker

“Grounded by lockdown, Thomas Nolf turned to the virtual skies to rekindle a childhood dream of flight. In his book ‘As Real As It Gets’(2025), he considers how flight simulation culture reflects our collective longing for escape.”

@artpapereditions @_nell_whittaker_
#msfs #msfs2024 #escape #flightsimulator #flightsim taken in United Kingdom by @thomasnolf

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9 months ago

Introducing a new special edition for Paris Photo:

Thomas Nolf, As Real As It Gets

A signed and numbered C-print 50 x 40 cm, edition of 10

Link in bio

@thomasnolf
@artpapereditions by @thomasnolf

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a year ago

Article in @al__magazine by @thomasnolf

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a year ago

Interview in U La Repubblica about my latest book ‘As Real As Is Gets’, published by Art Paper Editions
👉swipe for the translation.
@artpapereditions
@bepart_platform
@u_repubblica
Thanks 🙏. @antonio_carloni_ @arianna_rinaldo_curator @manilacamarini
#larepubblica #ularepubblica taken in Milan, Italy by @thomasnolf

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a year ago

Repost @kate__folk

“Writer KATE FOLK imagined the story of a woman sexually attracted to airplanes. Absurd? Not really, if we think about the stuff some of our desires are made of…”

such a cool spread in the Italian magazine @u_repubblica, featuring an interview with me, paired with photos by @thomasnolf. thanks to Nicola Baroni for putting this together taken in Italia by @thomasnolf

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a year ago

‘As Real As It Gets’ as one of the finalists at Encontros Da Imagem in Portugal 🇵🇹@eimagem @artpapereditions @bepart_platform taken in Braga, Portugal by @thomasnolf

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a year ago

In the great Umagazine of La Repubblica 🇮🇹
A great dialogue between my work and the book Sky Daddy by @kate__folk.
Airplanes and sexual obsession ✈️👀
✍️@nicobaro.nb
@u_repubblica
@larepubblica
@manilacamarini taken in Milan, Italy by @thomasnolf

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a year ago