ddk.#2 BRUSSELS - BOZAR - 23.06.2016
DDK #22 DE GROTE POST OOSTENDE
Vanessa in the mirror, 2004 © Marc Lagrange
On the 23th of September De Donkere Kamer took place at De Grote Post in Oostende.
We gave stage to Filip Dujardin, discussing his new project on show at Fotobiennale Oostende and welcomed Diego Franssens, who presented HERMAN. Julie Scheurweghs joined us too to talk about her new book and expo THE BIRTH OF A MOTHER. We also celebrated the work of Marc Lagrange. And Isabel Devos explained her work for the biennial in Ostend. Finally, Stijn Meuris treated the audience to a spoken column based on a photograph. The evening was moderated by Lieven Vandenhaute.
Marc Lagrange:
Marc Lagrange passed away in 2015, but his photographs continue to cause wonder worldwide. Filled with yearning and sensuality, Lagrange's work revolves around the beauty, mystery and power of women. Even naked, his models are full of self-confidence. They are passionate protagonists, not passive extras.
Diego Franssens:
From behind his camera lens, Diego Franssens gets closer and closer to his ageing father, to the person Herman. Herman, who decided to go into lockdown long before the word meant anything to us. “How many people lose their parents without really knowing them? Regular people from regular Flemish villages fade quickly, but this is my father. I have no desire to immortalize or glorify him, but I want proof of his existence. The same way my mother existed. My father tries to hide and I try to see him. Sometimes he wears neon but tries even harder to hide.”
Filip Dujardin:
Filip Dujardin designs architectural wonders with digital techniques. At first glance, Dujardin's photos of buildings seem 'quite normal'. The constructions look ultra-modern, that's for sure. It is only on closer inspection that their structural impossibility becomes apparent. Dujardin ignores the laws of physics and defies both gravity and logic to create exquisite architectural compositions. His work is included in the permanent collection of two New York art institutions, the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) and The Metropolitan Museum of Art, among others.
Julie Scheurweghs:
The work of Julie Scheurweghs investigates the image of women, what it means to be a woman in a patriarchal world, motherhood and intimate family life. She punctures stereotypes around gender and sexuality and puts her finger on social wounds. Scheurweghs is also fascinated by the everyday, which is all too often written off as banal. By changing the focus, she reveals beauty that would otherwise remain unseen. And thus femininity emerges in all its facets.
Isabel Devos:
After years of making photos for theatre companies, Isabel Devos signed on in 2017 for the series - the title covers the load - Contemplative Landscapes. This had its origin during an artist residency at KIK in the Netherlands and sent the photographer in a completely different direction. Figuratively, but also literally: the work took her to Venice and Murano, where she collaborated with glass artists Marina & Susanna Sent, but also to Taiwan, where Devos stayed for a long time in 2020. This in turn led to the series That's how the light gets in, in which she continues her contemplative quest.
DDK #22 © Sofya Demskaya
DDK #22 © Sofya Demskaya
DDK #22 © Sofya Demskaya
DDK #22 © Sofya Demskaya
DDK #22 © Sofya Demskaya
DDK #22 © Sofya Demskaya
DDK #22 © Sofya Demskaya
DDK #22 © Sofya Demskaya
DDK #22 © Sofya Demskaya
