Aphantasia is a neurological condition that prevents people from visualizing mental images. For Abel van Oirschot, it is also the reason he makes art. This artist is 24 years old, based in Amsterdam, and works across set design, photography, and illustration, as demonstrated by Birch (2025), his first full-scale photography project. His practice stems from a precise need: to translate emotions into something tangible, something visible, since his mind offers no spontaneous representation of them. Production becomes a necessary act, not a decorative one.
Birch was built in a small garage and explores queer identity, alienation, and escape through the metaphor of a handmade spaceship. The late-60s design objects, on loan from Tom’s Vintage Shop, are not mere props: for van Oirschot, that era represents a search for meaning among the stars, a time when looking up at the sky was still a political act. The project was made possible with the support of Amar te Fonds, and is entirely free of artificial intelligence.
His path began in illustration before expanding into a master’s degree in Communication Science, a choice that reflects his interest in the full lifecycle of a project: from conceptual thinking to production, presentation, and communication. Today, this approach extends beyond his own practice, helping brands and their audiences see themselves in visual worlds that reflect who they are and what they stand for. His work has already been recognised by names such as Billie Eilish, Viola Davis, Troye Sivan, and Manu Rios. Not bad for someone who, technically, cannot see a thing.
