The Witness I Thomas Bogaert I valerie_traan gallery I Antwerp

Thomas Bogaert's work starts with concrete observation, which he takes further to the limits of suggestion.
He is equally fascinated by how the concept of time relates to a moving image.
Bogaert collects time with an old Super 8 camera: the Nikon R10.

The silhouette of the R10 is reminiscent of a revolver and when you pull the 'trigger', the camera comes to life: the pellicle is chased past the lens, which can be heard very clearly. This creates a strong here-and-now feeling during filming, in which the camera becomes an extension of the artist.

Here, the camera acts as a kind of 'subconscious'. Afterwards, when viewing the footage, Bogaert often discovers surprising image fragments (film stills) that he does not consciously remember having filmed, but which the camera has registered and thus 'remembered'. These film stills are often the basis for objects that Bogaert pours resin over.

Fractions of seconds are thus immortalized in the moment.

Since 1994, Bogaert has been working with his Nikon R10 to film both consciously chosen themes, or to improvise. This has led to several series, including The Superfast Series, On The Way To The Peak of Ecstacy, The Paris Objects, etc.
When the camera gave way in 2016, he began a series of works in which the camera itself has become the subject and thus looks at itself: The Camera Series.

In this expo at valerie_traan gallery, the artist combines works from several of the series. From his archive, he selected a number of works made with the camera, as well as works about the camera.

Artists: Thomas Bogaert