Kim “Celeste” Van Liefferinge is a Belgian-American photographer exploring environmental history and material culture, inspired by her background in archaeology.

As a child, Kim found refuge in drawing, nature, and history books. That curiosity led to archaeology, a field that took her across the world, always with her camera in hand. After earning her Ph.D. in 2014, she moved to California for a postdoc at Stanford, but over time, photography took precedence. In 2015, she left academia to pursue a career as a photographer and creative director, working across the U.S. and Belgium.

Though no longer her primary occupation, archaeology remains central to Kim’s artistic approach. She sees the world through the lens of stratigraphy—layers of meaning revealing themselves through textures and the intrinsic qualities of her subjects.

Kim’s work was part of the IPA’s 2026 Official Selection and was shortlisted for the World Food Photography Awards in 2023. Her images have also appeared in exhibitions and magazines across Belgium and the U.S.