The exhibition Ici, le temps s’étire (here, where time stretches) features three photographers whose work revolves around the concept of time. Presenting new prints by Hans Bol and introducing two new artists — Victoire Eouzan and Alexander Sporre. Together they offer a kaleidoscopic view onto a feature which regulates, paces, and constructs our lives.
Hans Bol is deeply fascinated by the passing and recording of time. In his work, it is birds that embody this; on their way to their unknown destinations, they fly upwards mirroring life’s fleeting passing. Bol is recognised for his depiction of birds as messengers of eternity. The crow, one of Bol’s favorite species, is also a metaphor for something rather universal. Not only death, an interpretation that dates back to pagan times, but also an omen of happiness according to some cultures and mythologies. In his most recent series, Bol uses platinum printing, an old one-of-a-kind process that results in warm-toned and slightly velvety prints. Platinum prints are known for long-lasting durability and color fastness and thus reflect the photographer’s aim to capture the eternal and timeless.
Another angle on the subject is offered by Alexander Sporre who sees his photography as a by-product of a metaphysical search for reality. His work addresses the philosophical — and often poetic — illusion of a knowable and rational self. In photography, he operates on the border of fiction and non-fiction. Sporre investigates reality not as experienced through our senses, but as that which transcends matter; a world of timeless and everlasting ideas and forms. Alexander Sporre uses (un)conventional photography techniques – combining both analogue and digital methods — to abstract the known reality as much as possible, and to create an entirely new vision. “I try to avoid connecting words or themes to my photography, as it’s in the intangibility of the photograph where words are made redundant,” says Alexander.
Finally, Victoire Eouzan’s work revolves around the question of how can time be experienced in all of its volatility and elasticity? Can we extend it, not let it suddenly slip through our fingers? In her latest series, Eouzan turns her lens towards her relationship to time and, especially, to the present. This is manifested in the sites and places she visits, those that incite her to contemplate. She always maintains a physical connection with these places and travels to the sea, or hikes through the mountains. This physical investigation forces her into an encounter with the space and its activities; here, she grapples with the present moment. In her artistic practice, Eouzan combines techniques from different fields, such as mixing old photographic or printing techniques with new technologies. By placing texts over the images, a technique employed for the presented series, the artist establishes a dialogue between the mental picture created by the text and the actual printed image. With this, she investigates what images suggest and what emotions they trigger.