SELECTED PRESS
Erwin Van den Brande's work has been featured in Belgian and international publications, including photography, art and cultural magazines. His work has been discussed in relation to contemporary photography, digital image-making and the changing boundaries between observation and construction.
QUOTES
Sometimes its necessary to take ourselves out of the stress and worries of everyday life, the rituals of work and deadlines, bills and future plans and see the world for what it is, a place outside human interference that can offer us a small measure of peace and tranquility. And that is what Erwin Van Den Brande has done in these photographs from his series ‘The World That Surrounds Us”.
This collection of pictures look to decontextualise familiar scenes in order to make them timeless, captivating, a respite from the modern world, from consumerism and cultural dictatorships. It’s an attempt to create an idyll, an open space for contemplation, rest, peace, a sort of zen garden in which we can lose ourselves in the moment without care for the past or future.
To this end the photographs are simple. They want to transport us to a place we can never reach, they are a view of an impossibility that we can glimpse at but never grasp. They appeal to our suffering but torture us in their reflective glory. This duality makes them difficult to look at for the longer you wallow in their aura the more likely you are to fall short, count your shortcomings, take residence in the worst aspects of your life. So tread carefully. Rest easy. Breathe deep.
This collection of pictures look to decontextualise familiar scenes in order to make them timeless, captivating, a respite from the modern world, from consumerism and cultural dictatorships. It’s an attempt to create an idyll, an open space for contemplation, rest, peace, a sort of zen garden in which we can lose ourselves in the moment without care for the past or future.
To this end the photographs are simple. They want to transport us to a place we can never reach, they are a view of an impossibility that we can glimpse at but never grasp. They appeal to our suffering but torture us in their reflective glory. This duality makes them difficult to look at for the longer you wallow in their aura the more likely you are to fall short, count your shortcomings, take residence in the worst aspects of your life. So tread carefully. Rest easy. Breathe deep.
Morai Mair, MutantSpace
VIDEO INTERVIEWS
Art by Step, 2023
Interview on artistic practice and image-making. Dutch.
AbbVie
Artist interview and presentation of commissioned artwork.
Dutch with English subtitles.