Belgian Sculptures

Belgian Sculptures is a documentary photography project taking place throughout Belgium. 

Ever since I was a child, in my region, I have come across many elements and structures that intrigue me, make me wonder, and shape my perception—a certain idea, a mental image—of the area where I live. 

Vernacular elements that recur in the landscape and which, as my photographic explorations progressed, began to form a cohesive whole. These various elements led me to reflect on humanity’s imprint on the land it occupies, the traces it leaves over time, and what remains of them, as well as on the ways in which humans appropriate and shape the landscape. I began this project by focusing on the agricultural structures that dotted the landscape of the Condroz, my native region. 

During my photographic wanderings, I systematically took pictures of these elements, which led to a body of work in the form of a collection of them. I realized that the medium of photography and the act of arranging them in a series transcend their purely utilitarian aspect; it became a form of Land Art, like sculptures. I then became interested in other types of elements that recur in the landscape, following the same logic as agricultural structures and viewed through the lens of their sculptural quality. 

There are objects whose original purpose is now obsolete, left to decay as the sole witnesses to the past; it is in this that, for me, they take on meaning as sculptures, as works that provoke reflection. Some objects are more ephemeral than others, but they are just as meaningful.