Mercredi 29 Avril 2015 10:20:39 par Clarisse Treilles dans Expositions

To coincide with Gallery Weekend Berlin, WAGNER + PARTNER is pleased to announce the solo exhibition of celebrated Dutch photo artist Ruud van Empel. It was the series World that established van Empel, a series in which he situated spruced up colored children in exotic jungle locations: a colourful and enigmatic, nonetheless ambivalent, paradise.

The survey exhibition Souvenir showcases Ruud van Empel's expressive photomontages, which illustrate and illuminate afresh the theme of childhood through the lens of memory and innocence. His central motifs are fascinating and yet also disturbing portraits of children, created in van Empel's unique way: the frontal imaging and children's self-assured gaze into the camera. They are located in faux landscapes, which remind one of artificial photo-studio arrangements.

Ruud van Empel: Still Life Funghi, 2014, 60 x 42 cm, Archival Pigment Print

Van Empel's photographs are based on the Flemish portrait and still life tradition, although his works maintain a stylistic balance between the visual language of nostalgia and mass media. His affinity with popular culture and advertising is obvious in his choice of gaudy colours as well as his children's typecast appearance, like dolls presenting an exclusive clothing range. In this way van Empel's plays with clichés as well as their alienation, thus maintaining an ambivalent attitude from the viewer.

Ruud van Empel: Untitled#1, 2004, 118.9 x 84.1 cm, Cibachrome