Jimmy Kets

Jimmy Kets (Belgium, 1979) studied graphic design and illustration at Sint Lucas Art School in Antwerp, where his graduation project was a photo documentary about Nepalese street children. Since then he has worked as a press photographer for Belgian newspapers – first for De Morgen and then for De Standaard – and is now affiliated to the Belgian photo agency Reporters. He has twice won both the Nikon Promising Young Photographer Award and the Sabam Award for the Best Humoristic Press Photo. In 2009 Kets’ work was exhibited in the Flanders Center in the Japanese city Osaka.

As befits a press photographer, Kets’ photos are never staged. He looks for spontaneous reactions and always has his eye on their authenticity. His work relies on chance and luck. In his photo series working-class bars: sansevierias and men’s talk, which was commissioned by Folklore Flanders, Kets records an important aspect of Belgian cultural heritage that is in danger of being lost and needs to be preserved for future generations. He succeeds admirably in his mission, giving us an insight not only into these ‘people’s cafés’ as they are today, but also into their rich history.