Belgium – Artist
Peter
Bracke
–
Name artworks
Santa Lucia
“In 2021 I was invited by Andrea and Luca Zampol D’Ortia, creators and curators, to contribute to this exciting project, moi aussi… An honour for me.
My work was inspired by the battle vision loss of my mother. It consists of a pair of glasses with the words “Light in the Dark” translated into Braille.
The struggle of my mother started about 10 years ago when an ophthalmologist said that, in addition to one eye, she’ll go blind also in the other. His verdict was harsh: there was nothing to do and she would become completely blind.
Ten years of eye injections offered a little hope, but ultimately proved unsuccessful. She became depressed. But my mother, an avid reader, discovered the Braille League and its “Listening Point Library”. It offered her a limited, but significant and meaningful salvation. With the help of a large CD player she currently enjoys a dozen books a week.
In my work I have tried to capture some of the intense emotions of my mother’s journey and its impact on my family.
On the lenses of the glasses are printed images of various images of Saint Lucia, the saint of the blind and visually impaired. As a martyr, her eyes have been gouged out and she is always depicted holding a bowl with her eyes in a pool of blood. The mauve color of the frame refers to the church of Santa Lucia alle Malve in Matera. Mallow (malve) is a plant with mauve flowers.”
Year
2021
Biography
Peter Bracke investigates the photographic medium in its visual and plastic aspects. Artists who choose to work with classical photography mostly do so because of its unique qualities. It enables them to capture things as they are at an instant in time.
They work with photography’s strengths rather than using it to imitate other media.
Bracke searches for the distinctions between photography and other visual media and it is at those intersections where he seeks to express his vision. In Bracke’s work the textures of unusual materials lead the viewer into a tempting, exotic and dreamy world. For him it is the relationship between the image and the medium on which the print is made that is paramount.
Somehow Peter Bracke turns around the citation of the French Nouvelle-Vague director Jean-Luc Godard: “Il faut confronter les idées vagues avec des images claires “ – “We must confront vague ideas with clear images”.
The artist builds from clear ideas and vague images which he allows to remain dreamy, etheric and mystical. From this starting point the viewer begins his journey freely without traditional visual guides and the result is unexpected and exciting.
Exhibitions
August 2006: “Lamu”, Patersholfeesten, Gent (BE)
Between 2006-2011: Annual group exhibition at the art Academy, Gent (BE)
December 2010: Cofounded artist collective ‘FaceOff’, Gent (BE) June 2011: “Trip”, Zebrastraat, Gent (BE) 2012: Selected for Art competition ‘Canvascollectie’ – “Winterlandscape”, Museum M, Leuven (BE)
2012: Provided photographs for the book “Gent en zijn advocaten” – ISBN 978 90 382 2054 3, Gent (BE) May
2013: Group Exhibition “Ik wordt“ curated by Johan De Wilde, Voorkamer, Lier (BE)
June 2013: “Sandcastles” with an introduction by Patrick Allegaert “FaceOff”, Zebrastraat, Gent (BE)
May 2014: “Les Algues sont mortes“, Galerie S&H Debuck, Gent (BE)
June – August 2014: “Overzicht 2006-2014“, Artist of the month at Zebrastraat, Gent (BE)
September 2014: “Theatre of Magic” (DE), Berliner Liste – Postbahnhof, Berlin (DE)
November 2014: “Roadshow Theatre of Magic“(NL) De Voorste Venne, ’s-Hertogenbosch (NL) December 2014: “Theatre of Magic”, Coupure 625, Gent (BE) Juni 2015: “Les Algues sont mortes “(FR), Atelier Bruno Pascal – Goutte d’Or, Paris (FR)
September 2015: “The End Of Legal Voyeurism”, FaceOff, Zebrastraat, Gent (BE)
Maart-april 2016: Retrospective exhibition “10 Jaar Kunstenaar van de Maand”, Zebrastraat, Gent (BE)
Oktober-november 2017: Group Exhibition “Look Now” curated by Daan Rau, Palazzo Vendramin-Costa, Venetië (IT) with Andrea Aquilanti – Lieven Neirinck – Hedwig Brouckaert – Massimo Uberti
July-August 2018: Group exhibition ‘LOVE’, Andre Demedtsmuseum, Sint Baafs-Vijve (BE) September 2018: “Dark Mirror”, FaceOff, Zebrastraat, Gent (BE)
October 2018 : Book – ISBN-13-9789401458528- Lannoo- Paul Dujardin Kunst in de Zebrastraat elucidates the unique collection of the Liedts-Meesen Foundation. The work of more than thirty well-known and lesser-known Belgian and foreign artists is covered in short, lucid texts: from Panamarenko and Bill Viola to Sonia Delaunay, Nick Ervinck and Honoré d’O
December 2018 – January 2019: Solo “Nature Morte – Still Life”, Kustlaan 154, Knokke (BE)
March 2019 : “FaceOff goes Royale Belge” AXA-building, Kortrijksesteenweg – Gent May –
November 2019 : Biennale Venice – Palazzo Mora
October 2019 : DeKANTFABRIEK – Burchtdam 4 – Ninove – 06/09/19 till 07/10/19 Face-Off 2019 – Zebrastraat – Gent – 04/10/19 till 13/10/19 BAD – Belgian Art and Design – Floraliënpaleis – Gent – 10/10/19 till 13/10/19
November 2019 : Fotofever Paris 2019 – Galerie S&H DE BUCK (B) – Carrousel du Louvre : 99 Rue de Rivoli, 75001 Paris – 07/11 till 10/11/19 September – October 2020: GAD – Guidecca Art District – Space 02 – Legno e Legno – Venice (IT) : COMPRESENZE (note per una fenomenologia dell’apparizione) A cura di Valentina Gioia Levy e Pier Paolo Scelsi group show with Andrea Aquilanti, Koen Fillet and Massimo Uberti.
Realised Art Works
2007 – 2008: “Lamu”
8 A3 prints printed on Canson Infinity Platine Fibre Rag
Exhibited at D. Van Monckhovenstraat, Gent – School Van Monckhoven and Group Exhibition, Patersholfeesten, Ghent (BE)
June 2009: 6 self portraits: “Zelf”
60 x 80 directly printed on chipboard with Mamiya flatbed scanner
Exhibited at Academiestraat, Gent (BE), June 2009
Juni 2009: 4 landscapes: “Zwin”
100 x 150 directly printed on matt plexi
exhibited at Academiestraat, Gent (BE), June 2009
May 2011: Installation consisting of one large triptych and 20 smaller ones: “Trip”
100 x 140 and 100 x 70 (2x) directly printed on recycled plane tree with Mimaki flat bed scanner
exhibited at Zebrastraat: “FaceOff expo” June 2011 and
Offerlaan in July 2011
Oktober 2011: Portrait series made with camera obscura on Dibond: “Elisabeth”
15 x 100 and 20 x 30 May – July 2013: “Mornington”
15×40 (3x), tryptych printed on dibond. Exhibited at “De Voorkamer” in Lier (BE) as part of “Ik wordt” by Johan De Wilde and included in the book ISBN 978 94 9177 504 8
June 2013: “Sandcastles”
100 x 300 (1x) – 60 x 220 (4x)- 80 x 220 (3x),printed on Awagami Inbe Inkjet paper 50 x 50 (4x) and 25 x 25 (9x) stretched on melamine and mixed media (plaster and isomo) exhibited between 6 and 16 June at Zebrastraat 32, Gent (BE) as part of the exhibition “Hubris and hamartia” including an audio fragment by Shahl Hasheesh (6,17 minuten) Not yet on display: “Portus Gandae”
20 x 30 (8x) Camera obscura images printed using the ICED technique
2013: As part of the artist collective “FaceOff” and included in the book “Gent en zijn advocaten” ISBN 978 90 382 2054 3
2014: “Theater Of Magic” Installation of camera obscura images taken in pinball machines with ‘The Addams Family’ pinball-machine wrapped up in black ultra-thin paper on a stage
2014-2015: “The End of Legal Voyeurism”
Assembly of 8 mirrored cupboards centered on tripods combined with 8 ICED images (diameter 30×60) Art installation focusing on Europe’s disappearing peepshows using images taken in Gent and Paris September 2018: “Stilleven – Nature-Morte“
Installation using glass, sand and sandpaper combined with polaroids and video
2019: “La Verità su Emanuela” Installation with long vertical photos (90X240H) on Awagami-Taruki paper with video
Press
February 23 2019: Interne Keuken – Radio 1 “Je stak een muntje in een gleuf, en dan kon je 90 seconden kijken naar een blote mevrouw achter glas”