DRYLANDS

Drylands is an ongoing body of work rooted in desert regions and made through time spent with tribes such as the Bidhan, Haratin, Rebaiya, Bisharin, Jebeliya, and Al Alegat. The minimalist beauty of the Sahara and Sahel has shaped Kettner’s visual language. Stark sepia contrasts echo the extremes of the landscape, hinting at a fading way of life and reflecting the fragility of these communities. 

The photographs are restrained and direct, moving beyond clichés of emptiness or romantic isolation to reveal the desert as a living archive. Through this work, viewers are invited to witness an alternative way of living, in which land and memory remain deeply intertwined, yet increasingly under threat.

Black and white photo of palm trees with dense foliage and sandy ground.
Minimalist monochrome photography by Isabelle Kettner, featuring a solitary figure on a stone in a serene water landscape.
Black and white wide-angle photography of a vast desert landscape with rolling sand dunes, featuring a camel caravan and people walking in the distance under a bright sky.
High-key black and white portrait of a man in traditional desert dress and goggles, standing in a bright, white sand dune landscape with one arm outstretched, by Isabelle Kettner.
inside bedouin tent
Two camels lead two people across a vast desert with sand dunes and sparse bushes, under a cloudy sky.
Intense black and white close-up profile of a man wearing a traditional headwrap (turban), looking down in a moment of reflection or prayer in the desert.
Cinematic black and white scene in a desert at dusk, showing a man leading a camel by a rope near a campfire and brushwood, captured by photographer Isabelle Kettner.
Bright white light shining downward, surrounded by darkness.
Ethereal black and white landscape of a desert campfire burning among dry brush with a silhouette of a camel in the foggy distance.
Close-up of two hands clasped together, showing age lines and textured skin, one hand appears older with more wrinkles.
A vast desert landscape with rugged, rocky hills in the foreground and expansive flat terrain stretching towards hills and mountains in the distance under a mostly cloudy sky.
small mosque
Close-up view of large, textured rocks and dry, leafless plants in a desert landscape.
A person wearing a hat, glasses, and light clothing standing on rocky terrain overlooking a desert landscape with mountains in the distance during the daytime.
Black and white photo of rocky desert mountains with a palm tree in the mid-ground.
bedouin temporary summer camp
Still life monochrome photography of a pair of worn black dress shoes and socks resting on desert sand next to a heavy fabric bag.
Expansive high-key monochrome landscape showing rocky desert terrain transitioning into a vast, hazy valley with scattered desert trees.
A leafless, twisted tree in a snowy landscape with sparse small bushes in the background and snow-covered hills.
bedouin people eating at night.
A person writing in a notebook with handwritten notes, holding a pen in their right hand, resting on a textured surface.
Aerial black and white view of the village Moudjiera, showing dense traditional architecture bordered by vast sand dunes.
A black and white photo of a desert landscape with rugged mountains in the background, sparse vegetation, and stone buildings along the hillside.
Close-up black and white portrait of a woman wearing a black niqab, with a blurred mountain landscape in the background.
View from inside a vehicle showing cracks on the windshield, a rearview mirror, a hanging decoration, and a carcass of a fish on the dashboard.