Karel Saelaert (°1978, Ghent) 

is a documentary photographer drawn to the fringes of society and the beauty hidden in the everyday. His work spans continents, yet his images resist the easy temptation of the exotic. They do not merely show; they immerse, possessing the raw intimacy of someone who has gained the trust of his subjects—someone who moves beyond the surface into the pulse of a moment. His work speaks of a lust for life—in its true, gritty, and infinitely diverse reality. The laughter, the dust, the music, the sweat—all of it finds its way into his images.

 

One of the most fascinating aspects of Saelaert’s work is the way his own journey shapes it. He often travels with a friend who is tetraplegic, and journeying with a wheelchair reshapes how they move through the world. It invites unexpected encounters and reveals a different way of connecting. Saelaert captures people—up close, unposed. They become co-navigators in a shared experience. What might seem like obstacles become part of the story, folding the physical and logistical challenges into the heart of the photographic process.