Mad Max-esque shots of the Australian outback from Wouter Van de Voorde

Belgian photographer Wouter Van de Voorde started out as a painter in his homeland before discovering that photography offered him more of the creative freedom and opportunity for introspection than his original medium. Since taking up photography he’s exiled himself to Autralia where he uses his outsider status as a driver for creative expression, exploring the quirks and nuances of Australian culture and landscape in the hope of creating a sense of belonging through his work.

This process of coming to terms with Australia’s otherness is particularly clear in his New Normal series, a collection of seven images that see Wouter roaming around Sandpit Party, Australia’s answer to Burning Man. For the Flanders native, the stark opposition to his homeland is palpable – all baron landscape and industrial degradation – his surroundings serving as a Mad Max-esque reminder of just how different two Western countries can be.