Portraits from Africa to Asia: 30 years of photographs from Serge Anton

‘The face is the mirror of the soul’

(Photography by Serge Anton)

Serge Anton has spent the last 30 years travelling the world. His book Faces collects the visages with character he photographed during his countless travels in Africa and Asia.

The Belgian artist has been fascinated by faces since his childhood: “I keep observing them, trying to read them, to understand and feel what they express. As a child, I felt literally surrounded by books with human faces. ‘The face is the mirror of the soul’ ... It is the reflection of what the human being hides deep inside, spiritually and emotionally, a state of soul, a fleeting or transient expression. I like to capture a fragment, to grasp what is revealed in a furtive instant and belongs only to this unique moment.”

The intriguing images uncover our common humanity at all ages and across cultures. Each of the portraits tells wordless stories, as they reveal a certain resemblance in the exotic faces of faraway lands: the details in their eyes, the light sifting through the images, the wrinkles that seem to reflect the wisdom of lifetimes.

Anton, who studied photography in Brussels, reveals why he is so impelled to take portrait imagery. “Faces and eyes have this mysteriousness to them that exerts a real fascination on me, as do certain places: either natural landscapes or man-made architectural structures, with crude, flawed materials and textures. This mystery is synonymous with darkness, depth, discretion, magic, and silence.

“As a child, I liked to sneak into the office where my father worked; a gloomy, magical place, full of creepers and masks and other unusual objects, from Africa and other faraway countries. This dark realm, where blackness reigned in all its rich nuances and depth, both scared and fascinated me.

“I hate being exposed to the spotlights, to the hullabaloo of a life replete with glitter. I prefer to evolve in ‘the light of the shadow’. As Shakespeare expressed it, ‘And this our life, exempt from public haunt, / Finds tongues in trees, books in the running brooks, / Sermons in stones, and good in everything’.”

‘Faces’ by Serge Anton and Lannoo Publishers is available to purchase online