All posts filed under: Photography

Willy Vanderperre_London

The moment I first heard about the exhibition Willy Vanderperre ‘prints, film, posters and more‘ was holding in London, I knew I had to go and see it. I know Vanderperre’s work since I started my study photography years ago and I always love the way he looked at images, especially when he started working with stylist Olivier Rizzo. Two Belgian fashion pro’s who, years later, made it to the absolute top, without losing their naturel and edge. Willy is a longtime collaborator and friend of Raf Simons, shot everyone from A$AP Rocky and Millie Bobby Brown, to Harry Styles and the Kardashian-Jenners, and made campaigns for brands like Calvin Klein, Prada and Jil Sander. The exhibit took place at Store X, in the basement of Brutalist landmark 180 The Strand.  Not easy to find as nothing but a black plastic cache indicated the entrance of the show. The friendly doorman wanted a picture with me and I could enter the venue reception. A simple table with the (few) leftovers of all the merchandising (which I bought straight away), a …

Burp, a food magazine, but not as we know it

I am HUGE magazine freak. Every new magazine that comes on the market I end up buying, one day or another. Every fashion, food, lifestyle related magazine I lay my hands on ends up on my Moooi magazine collectors plank, until a brand-new shipment is delivered. So it was no surprise I got invited by press agent Saskia from The Wicked PR to check out BURP, a new mini food magazine by pastry chef Erik Vernieuwe and photographer Kris De Smedt. God, what a surprise it was to see the first edition of this tiny, not-glossy-at-all microzine with styled food photography! Bye bye natural food sets, chaotic arranged food ingredients, crumbles and used wooden surfaces. Erik and Kris do not like the ’so-hip-it-hurts’ Instagram foodie-style. Burp food magazine re-invented the glam-style, über worked, glossed over the top food styling, inspired by the 80 ties. Think bright color back grounds, clean cut custom photography and bizar designed recipe lay outs. No advertising, articles, interviews or other clutter to distract, bore or seduce the reader. Burp is a look-and-enjoy …

Reflections to welcome a new year.

I’m not the only one who feels the urge to reflect on what’s ahead, when starting a new year. If you look at it, the start of a new year is just another day in the always faster rushing world around you. But it is also the perfect ‘forced’ moment to think things trough. What are my goals in life? What plans do I make this year? What do I stand for and can I stay true to myself in this marketing & perfect image ruled world I work in? It’s not easy. Off course I know the drill. I know what needs to be done. Making compromise is needed, and even moderation has never been my strongest asset, I’m getting better at it…. But I also know what is important in life. We want relevance, we want more transparency and honesty from others, we do not believe in empty stories anymore, we worry about time passing by and we know we need to focus on long, fundamental issues instead of our non stop quest …

Banksy’s Dismaland, a fabulous stunt art show. PART 2.

Many pieces are sharp critiques on modern amusement. Banksy’s whale jumping trough a ring in a toilet was inspired by Sea World that was ripped apart by the 2013 documentary “Blackfish.” Or Cinderella’s crashed carnage inside her grungy dark castle, surrounded by flashing paparazzi with motorbikes. When you leave the ‘scene’, you can buy your own souvenir photograph for 5 pound. (“Terribly expensive”, as the staff comments without asking.) Another central spot is the Jeffrey Archer Memorial Fire Pit where visitors can warm themselves around a daily burning of the local lord’s books. There is Ben Long’s sculpture of a horse constructed from scaffolding (a piece that was shown in the V&A). I loved Banksy’s model boat pond with overly crowded boats packed with asylum seekers you can operate yourself from the side with a (paying) remote controller. You never know if you will stair a police boat or the refugee boat and that’s the point. Some dead bodies floating in the water could not be more pain full, with little refugee Aylan in mind, …