Trinity - Carl de Keyzer

Carl De Keyzer at the Graphic Design Museum

 

 

Following a successful exhibition at FoMu in Antwerp, which exhibited De Keyzer’s ‘Congo (Belge)’, the ‘Trinity’ series by the photographer and filmmaker will also be shown in Breda.

The exhibition can be seen not only during Breda Photo, but also from 16 September to 31 December in the Graphic Design Museum. Entrance-fee € 6.--

 

TRINITY

‘Trinity’ is a milestone in the oeuvre of Magnum photographer Carl De Keyzer. It is a triptych on the theme of the omnipresence of power and violence. In ‘Trinity’ we see leaders, their soldiers and the population through the eyes of De Keyzer, who is inspired by genres in nineteenth-century painting. The title refers to the traditional view of the Supreme Power in classical art. ‘Trinity’ is also the code name for the project with which Oppenheimer led a team of atomic physicists to produce the first atomic bomb. Based on three themes (‘Tableaux d'Histoire’, ‘Tableaux de Guerre’ and ‘Tableaux Politiques’) he grabs contemporary power, its senseless violence and worldwide destruction by the hair with oppressive images.

Tableaux d'Histoire

The first part is entitled ‘Tableaux d' Histoire’.

It represents the ways in which power presents itself – at the inauguration of an American president, during a ritual on one of the Catholic feast days in Vatican City, or during an election campaign in Russia. We see fences, platforms, and audiences that know their place. De Keyzer’s feeling for unguarded moments and the way he combines ambient light with the light from his powerful flashgun produce images that give scope to irony and sometimes even sarcasm.

 

Tableaux de Guerre

The second part is entitled ‘Tableaux de Guerre’. Between 2004 and 2006, the photographer visited nine countries where war conflicts were prevalent. In this series he used panoramic colour images for the first time. Sometimes the photography appears staged, but the viewer is brought back to reality by photos of an overgrown, completely devastated church on Ambon, buildings in Angola riddled with bullet holes, and the remains of a Congolese village that has been burned to the ground.

 

Tableaux Politiques 

In the third and final part, ‘Tableaux Politiques’, the visitor is presented with strong compositions. The interiors of Capitol Hill in Washington, the European Parliament in Brussels and Strasbourg and the Great Hall of the People in Beijing are very different in character, but share a formalistic, almost cold ambience.

 

Carl De Keyzer (Kortrijk, Belgium 1958) has been associated with the world-famous Magnum photo agency since 1990. He undertakes occasional commissions, but works mainly on his own projects. He regards ‘Trinity’ as an important carrier for what he wants to show. De Keyzer portrays effectively, with humour and wisdom, the power of the few and the powerlessness of the many.

 

The outdoor exhibition ‘Moments Before the Flood’ by Carl De Keyzer can be seen during the festival, at Chassépark.

Trinity 

Carl de Keyzer

16-09-2010 │31-12-2010

 

Graphic Design Museum

Boschstraat 22

Opening times

Tuesday to Sunday 10 a.m. – 5 p.m.

www.graphicdesignmuseum.com