In spring 2020, during the first wave of coronavirus, photographer Nele Van Canneyt wanders through Bruges, its surroundings and Zeebrugge. Everything looks abandoned. What effect does such a crisis have on a city and its inhabitants? What is its impact on the images of a photographer?
During her walks, she discovers secret places and meets unexpected people. Her photos tell the story of these explorations, but at the same time leave many questions open. Is the silence threatening or soothing? Is emptiness charged with melancholy or does it hold hope for the future?
At night, the world freezes. A shadow or a ray of light are the only traces of human activity. The reflections, the closed shutters and curtains, the blind walls create a feeling of isolation, impenetrability. Where is the photographer, the viewer: inside or outside? What is playing behind the walls?
During her walks, Nele Van Canneyt discovers an inside of the country she did not know, with unsuspected spatiality and nuances of color. In her still images, the tension is latent. Her photos play on the duality between the visible world and what is hidden behind it. A dream on film. Or the reality?
Nele Van Canneyt: Inside the country
until 4/25/2021
Bruges Museum, Belgium
2 divided rooms ‘Day’ and ’Night’
https://www.lalibre.be/culture/arts/decouvrir-bruges-autrement-5fec33e37b50a652f75762d0
https://www.museabrugge.be/fr/calendrier/expositions/nele-van-canneyt-op-pad-in-leeg-brugge
https://www.nelevancanneyt.com/
https://www.instagram.com/nelevancanneyt/
