Sometimes healing begins the moment we allow ourselves to feel what we’ve been holding back. The works of Vienna-based cinematographer Philipp Hafner are always filled with a deep sense of poetry and atmosphere. With Unlearning the Dark, he creates a series that moves between shadow and light, between protection and the courage to let go.
Shot on medium format and shaped through a tactile process of hand-printing on traditional Kozo paper, the images carry a softness that feels almost touchable. It’s a visual exploration of trust – of unlearning what once kept us safe, and slowly allowing connection back in.
How did the idea for this series come to you — what was the starting point behind it?
It started with a feeling and the patience to trust it. By listening closely, I created a space where it was possible to open up and vulnerable moments could surface on their own. There was a quiet confidence in letting things unfold. And when the sun broke through and touched the skin, that trust felt completely justified.
You mention that the images were hand-printed on traditional Japanese Kozo paper. For someone who isn’t familiar with analog processes, how can we picture this — what does that step look and feel like in practice? (smiles)
Kozo is a very fine, delicate paper with an extraordinary tactile quality. What makes this step particularly special is how it transforms a two-dimensional image into a three-dimensional object. The ink sinks into the fiber and the texture of the paper becomes another layer of the image itself.
The title suggests not just healing, but also an active process of undoing. What does this mean to you in a personal and creative sense?
Out of fear, we tend to hold on to things, but something new often emerges when we’re willing to leave something behind. Unlearning is the active version of that. It’s the work of noticing which responses you’ve automated over the years and asking: did I choose this, or did I build this to survive something?
“I wanted to strip everything back until only what mattered remained: light, shadow, texture.”
You chose to strip everything back to monochrome and texture. Was working in color ever an option — or did it never feel right for this series?
Black and white was there from the very beginning. I wanted to strip everything back until only what mattered remained: light, shadow, texture. The body in these images isn’t meant to be identified, and the monochrome creates that distance and opens something closer to touch than sight.
You work across both film and photography — do you approach a still image differently when you’re used to thinking in sequences?
Absolutely. I think the influence runs both ways. With moving image you have so much more to work with: sound, movement, editing — all powerful tools for conveying emotion. That’s why I enjoy the challenge of a still image all the more: distilling everything into a single frame, with nothing to fall back on.
How do you perceive the Austrian creative scene at the moment — does it support this kind of deeply personal, process-driven work?
For me it’s less about the structure and more about finding the right people. And those connections, when they happen, tend to be the ones that actually matter.
And finally — what is something you’re still in the process of unlearning?
Everything. I am alive to learn and unlearn, to relearn and unlearn and learn again.
Thanks so much for sharing your world with us!
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