13COLLECTIONS
A visual journey through places, cultures, and human experiences
13Collections is an ongoing visual exploration of places, cultures, and human experiences through monochrome photography. Developed from years of travelling across different regions of the world, the project captures moments where landscapes, architecture, people, and environments reveal the unique relationships between humans and the places they inhabit.
Rather than documenting destinations, 13Collections focuses on observation and interpretation. Through carefully selected monochrome images, the project explores atmosphere, memory, spatial relationships, and the subtle connections that shape our experience of place.
At its core, 13Collections asks a simple question: how do places influence the way we perceive, remember, and experience the world?
Through travel, photography, cultural perspectives, and emerging technologies, the project explores the relationship between people and environments, creating a visual archive of how different places communicate their stories.
THE FOUNDATION
Beginning in 2012, 13Collections grew organically from years of travelling, observing, and photographing places across different cultures and environments. Over time, the project expanded beyond photography into a wider exploration involving visual research, exhibition, digital presentation, advanced printing methods, blockchain-based ownership experiments, immersive Metaverse experiences, Feng Shui perspectives, and artificial intelligence.
Era 1: Travel, Observation, and the Formation of a Visual Language (2012-2020)
13Collections began with a simple practice: travelling, observing, and photographing the world around me. Across Europe, Asia, the Middle East, and other regions, I developed an archive of monochrome images that focused not only on places, but on atmosphere, human presence, and the hidden relationships between people and environments. Through visual travel stories, photographic series, exhibitions, and publications, these observations gradually formed a distinct visual language built around simplicity, composition, and the narratives contained within overlooked spaces. This period established the foundation of 13Collections: photography not merely as documentation, but as a way of understanding place, memory, and experience.
When
National Geographic Travel Photographer of the Year (Winner, 2nd Place – People Category, USA, 2017) · International Photography Awards (Honourable Mention – Panorama Category, USA, 2017) · Fine Art Photography Awards (Nominee – People & Panorama Categories, UK, 2018) · “Interesting Moment”, Fujairah International Contemporary Photography Festival (UAE, 2018) · “Camel Traders”, Art Hub, Dubai Design District (UAE, 2018) · “Cyclists in Copenhagen”, Winter Art Hub, Abu Dhabi (UAE, 2018) · “Norway in the 50mm Frameline”, The Quarterly Journal of LHSA International Leica Society (USA, 2019) · HUAWEI NEXT-IMAGE Award (Runner Up – Face Category, France, 2019) · “My Kind of Life Style”, Paris Photo, Grand Palais (France, 2019) · Ruelle: French Alley in Monochrome (Monochrome travel photography publication, 2020).
Era 2: From Photography to Visual Storytelling and Knowledge (2020-2022)
As the photographic archive grew, 13Collections evolved beyond image-making into a broader exploration of storytelling, interpretation, and knowledge creation. Through workshops, talks, publications, and collaborations, photography became a way to discuss observation, composition, and the cultural meanings embedded within images. The project also expanded into conversations around archives, curation, and the role of photography in preserving experiences across time and locations. During this period, the focus shifted from capturing individual moments towards understanding how images can communicate deeper connections between people, places, and memories.
When
“Objects in Air: Artworks and Their Outside around 1900”, University of Chicago Press (Featured artwork: “Interesting Moment”, 2021) · “Photography: The Art of Observation”, Amity University Dubai (Webinar, 2020) · “Travel Photography and Storytelling”, Amity University Dubai (Workshop, 2019) · “Travel Fine Art Photography: Meaningful Composition”, iBrandConnect & Hilton AlSeef, Dubai (Workshop, 2021) · “Travel Photography in the Digital Era”, Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts, University of the Arts Singapore (Workshop, 2022).
Era 3: Digital Transformation and New Forms of Artistic Experience (2022–2024)
As digital technologies began transforming how artworks are created, shared, and experienced, 13Collections expanded into new forms of exploration. Experiments with blockchain, NFTs, virtual galleries, and immersive environments examined how photography could exist beyond traditional physical formats and engage with emerging digital ecosystems. These explorations were not focused on technology alone, but on a larger question: how might new tools reshape the relationship between artists, audiences, artworks, and ownership? This period extended 13Collections from a photographic archive into an evolving investigation of art, technology, and changing cultural experiences.
When
“Art Gallery in the Metaverse: Use Case Study”, Metaverse Explorer Group, YOM (Virtual gallery experience and presentation, Netherlands, 2022) · “Capturing the Future: The Role of NFTs, Metaverse, and AI in Photography Art”, ISD Global & Theatre of Digital Art (Keynote, Dubai, 2023) · “Navigating New Horizons: Embracing NFTs and the Metaverse in Photographic Artistry”, Hong Kong Photobook Award Festival (Invited talk, Hong Kong, 2023) · “Navigating the Digital Shift: The Future of Art Markets in the Era of Virtual Events”, RAM-T Workshop, University of Glasgow (Research presentation, UK, 2024).
Era 4: From Visual Practice to Research and Intelligent Systems (2025–Present)
Building on more than a decade of visual exploration, 13Collections has developed into an interdisciplinary research inquiry examining how images can become systems of knowledge. Recent research explores photography as a way of understanding territories, spatial experiences, and cultural translation, while emerging technologies such as artificial intelligence provide new possibilities for analysing and interpreting visual relationships. Through academic conferences, artistic research, and continued experimentation, 13Collections now sits at the intersection of photography, culture, technology, and human experience, exploring how we perceive, remember, and create meaning from the world around us.
When
“13Collections: Monochrome Atmospheres as Global Visual Translation”, Global Arts Festival, Ohio University (Research Abstract, USA, 2026) · “Freezing and Expanding Time: Black-and-White Photographic Archives as Knowledge Systems of Spatial Experience”, Cumulus Athens, University of West Attica (Research Abstract, Greece, 2026) · “From Image to Territory: Monochrome Photography as Operative Cartography in Interior Systems”, ASC Conference: Conversational Confluences, Ouro Preto (Research Abstract, Brazil, 2026).