Matera

2025
archival print/dibond/dark wooden frame
44.8-59 inches, (edition 5 + 2 a.p.)

At night, Matera seems to dissolve into another era, cloaked in the soft glow of street lamps and the rising mist that gradually erases the Sassi. In this ancient labyrinth of cave dwellings and rock churches, silence becomes almost tangible—a stillness rare in a world where tourists capture themselves everywhere in selfies, their phone screens glowing brightly against the darkness.
Hans Wilschut’s work reveals a different reality: a Matera devoid of human presence, stripped of the fleeting gazes of visitors who treat the city merely as a backdrop for their bucket list. His photography seeks out the moments when the city rediscovers itself, detached from the incessant urge of travelers to record everything.
In this stillness, the anecdotal culture of snapshots fades, making room for a contemplative space where architecture and light take center stage. A night photograph of Matera in the spirit of Wilschut allows this centuries-old city to breathe like a living organism.
As we look at the image, a realization slowly dawns on us: we are nowhere, and never again, truly alone.