Callemin's photographs show the paradoxical, alienating character of photography. They are not 'readable', not descriptive, although they do involve a narrative through a play of suggestions. These are constructed images that question, in a conceptual way, photography as a medium in these times of unbridled visual production. Callemin: "In an age in which we see everything around us changing rapidly, the photograph may well be the only thing that continues to remind us of what once existed. The photograph is an anchor in times when the flow of time seems to be a prime issue. More than ever before, for instance, we need to look at what was always there: the moon, the sea."
Photography is false on the level of perception, true on the level of time, Roland Barthes once said. According to Barthes, a photograph is 'a new form of hallucination', so to speak, a modest, shared hallucination (not being there, on one hand, but having indeed been there): a mad image, which has that glimmer of reality.
Tom Callemin plays with that glimmer of reality and with the camera's capacity to let us, as he says, 'look between the folds of time's continuum and discover what our eye overlooks.'
Photography is false on the level of perception, true on the level of time, Roland Barthes once said. According to Barthes, a photograph is 'a new form of hallucination', so to speak, a modest, shared hallucination (not being there, on one hand, but having indeed been there): a mad image, which has that glimmer of reality.
Tom Callemin plays with that glimmer of reality and with the camera's capacity to let us, as he says, 'look between the folds of time's continuum and discover what our eye overlooks.'
Artworks
Articles
Media
Highlights
Recommendations
Collections
Shows
Market position
CV
Media
Freefall, 2016
Highlights
Shows
In corporate collection:
De Nederlandsche Bank
Market position
Tom Callemin was born in 1991, in Ostend (BE). He obtained a master in both Photography and Fine Arts at KASK in Ghent (BE). He was selected by the Fotomuseum (FOMU) in Antwerp (BE) in 2014 as a promising young photographer for the .tiff magazine and in 2015 as FOAM Young Talent by the Photo Museum in Amsterdam (NL). He also won the Prix Lavallois in 2015. The work of Tom Callemin was on view at the Arts Festival in Watou (BE, 2015); the Institut Néerlandais in Paris (FR, 2015 ); in Museum Dr. Guislain, Ghent ( BE, 2016); Museum Kranenburgh in Bergen (NL, 2016); FOMU Antwerp (BE, 2016); the Brakke Grond, Amsterdam (NL, 2017), and the MAS in Antwerp (BE, 2018/19). The work of Callemin was also selected for the online special about contemporary photography from Belgium, “Turning Photography”, as part of the Belgian Pavilion program at the 57th Venice Biennale. His work is represented in various international public and private collections.
CV
Education
2014 - 2015 MA Fine Arts, School of Arts, Ghent, BE
2013 - 2014 MA Photography, School of Arts, Ghent, BE
2020 Doctoral research in Arts, UGent and School of Arts, Ghent, BE
Selected Solo Exhibitions
2023 It's a world and not the world, tegenboschvanvreden, Amsterdam, NL
2019 NEVER ODD OR EVEN, tegenboschvanvreden, Amsterdam, NL (with Giovanni Giaretta)
2017 An unmarked incident as scenery, tegenboschvanvreden, Amsterdam, NL
Tom Callemin, De Brakke Grond, Amsterdam, NL (in collaboration with FOMU Antwerpen)
2016 Tom Callemin - Jonge Belgische Fotografie, FOMU, Antwerpen, BE
Selected Group Exhibitions
2024 Man, protretten uit de collectie, Fotomuseum Den Haag, Den Haag, NL
MINISHOW, tegenboschvanvreden, Amsterdam, NL
2023 Agents of concern: Images and empathy, Exhibition II, CC, Hasselt, BE
2021 RE-COLLECT, FoMu, Antwerp, BE
Artefact 2021: Wired for Empathy, STUK, Leuven, BE
2019 Prix Levallois, 10 ans!, National School Supérieure De La Photographie (ENSP), Artles, FR
Who are you?, La Maison des Arts, Schaarbeek, BE
Maan/Moon, FOMU, Antwerp, BE
Home sweet home, Kunstenhuis, Harelbeke, BE
At the gym, The White House Gallery, Lovenjoel, BE (curated by tegenboschvanvreden)
Alsof, ONE, Ghent, BE
Photobook Belge, FOMU, Antwerp, BE
The Gulf Between, De Warande, Turnhout, BE
2018 Pendant Pair (duo show with Anouk De Clercq), Antwerp Art Pavillion, BE
Prix Levallois, 10 ans!, Les Salons d’Honneur de l’Hôtel de Ville de Levallois, Levallois, FR
2017 FRONT, Concertgebouw Brugge, BE
Land van Fotografie, Land van waaslaan, Ghent, BE
Mixing/Memory and Desire, Breda’s Museum, Breda, NL
Recyclart, Musee de la photographie de Bruxelles, Brussels, BE
Through the Lens, Deweer Gallery, Otegem, BE
Adele, Galerie Zink, Waldkirchen, DE
2016 Zwart, van houtskool tot high-res,Museum Kranenburgh, Bergen, NL
Schaamte, Museum Dr. Guislain, Ghent, BE
The One - The Real, KROMUS + ZINK, Berlin, DE
Early Spring, tegenboschvanvreden, Amsterdam, NL
2015 Construction/Apparition, La Galerie Particulière, Paris/Brussels, FR/BE
CC Hasselt, Hasselt, BE
Exhibition of the Levallois Prize, Galerie de L’Escale, Levallois, FR
FOAM Talent Exposition, L’atelier Néerlandais, Paris, FR
Kunstenfestival Watou, Watou, BE
Het Grote Ongeduld Xtra, Cinematek, Brussels, BE
Mons 2015, Vidéozone ‘la Maison Folie’, Mons, BE
Ellipse by 2112 Collective, Tokyo Wonder Site, JAP
2014 Angst essen Seele auf, KASK, Ghent, BE
Stimulans, Paardenstallen Broelmuseum, Courtrai, BE
Best Regards, Quai des Arts, Ghent, BE
Unseen, .TIFF, Amsterdam, NL
Bougie Art Foundation, Amsterdam, NL
Angst essen Seele auf, FH Bielefield, DE
Solstice Hiver, These Things Take Time, Ghent, BE
Screenings
2023 It, Stations of the Cross, Hengelo, NL
2022 It, Cinema RITCS, Brussel, BE
It, Lab111, Amsterdam, NL
It, CalArts, Los Angeles, US
2021 It, Filmforum, Los Angeles, US
It, HKW, Berlin, DE
It, Comfort Behaviour, Filmforum, Los Angeles, US
2019 It, Ausland, Berlin, DE
It, REDCAT, Los Angeles, US
It, Festival International du Film sur l'Art, Montreal, CA
It, Musée National des Beaux-Arts, Quebec, CA
It, Glasgow Film Festival, Glasgow, GB
2018 It, Art Pavilion MAS, Antwerp, BE
It, National Art Gallery, Vilnius, LT
It, KASKkrakers, Kaskcinema, Ghent, BE
It, Festival du nouveau cinéma Montréal, Montréal, CN
It, Kaunas International Film Festival, Kaunas, LT
It, Cinema Projects, Oregon Museum of Science and Industry, Portland, US
It, Lima Independiente, Lima, PE
It, VIS Vienna Shorts Festival, Vienna, AT
It, FRACTO Experimental Film Encounter, Berlin, DE
It, Berlinale 2018, Berlin, DE
2017 It (premiere), Cinematek, Brussels, BE
Grants and Awards
2017 ING Talent Award (nomination)
2015 Laureate Prix Levallois
Foam Talent (selected)
2014 Prijs Stichting Stad Gent
Honorable mention, Stimulans, Cortai
201 1 Selected for Input/Output, Bruges
2014 - 2015 MA Fine Arts, School of Arts, Ghent, BE
2013 - 2014 MA Photography, School of Arts, Ghent, BE
2020 Doctoral research in Arts, UGent and School of Arts, Ghent, BE
Selected Solo Exhibitions
2023 It's a world and not the world, tegenboschvanvreden, Amsterdam, NL
2019 NEVER ODD OR EVEN, tegenboschvanvreden, Amsterdam, NL (with Giovanni Giaretta)
2017 An unmarked incident as scenery, tegenboschvanvreden, Amsterdam, NL
Tom Callemin, De Brakke Grond, Amsterdam, NL (in collaboration with FOMU Antwerpen)
2016 Tom Callemin - Jonge Belgische Fotografie, FOMU, Antwerpen, BE
Selected Group Exhibitions
2024 Man, protretten uit de collectie, Fotomuseum Den Haag, Den Haag, NL
MINISHOW, tegenboschvanvreden, Amsterdam, NL
2023 Agents of concern: Images and empathy, Exhibition II, CC, Hasselt, BE
2021 RE-COLLECT, FoMu, Antwerp, BE
Artefact 2021: Wired for Empathy, STUK, Leuven, BE
2019 Prix Levallois, 10 ans!, National School Supérieure De La Photographie (ENSP), Artles, FR
Who are you?, La Maison des Arts, Schaarbeek, BE
Maan/Moon, FOMU, Antwerp, BE
Home sweet home, Kunstenhuis, Harelbeke, BE
At the gym, The White House Gallery, Lovenjoel, BE (curated by tegenboschvanvreden)
Alsof, ONE, Ghent, BE
Photobook Belge, FOMU, Antwerp, BE
The Gulf Between, De Warande, Turnhout, BE
2018 Pendant Pair (duo show with Anouk De Clercq), Antwerp Art Pavillion, BE
Prix Levallois, 10 ans!, Les Salons d’Honneur de l’Hôtel de Ville de Levallois, Levallois, FR
2017 FRONT, Concertgebouw Brugge, BE
Land van Fotografie, Land van waaslaan, Ghent, BE
Mixing/Memory and Desire, Breda’s Museum, Breda, NL
Recyclart, Musee de la photographie de Bruxelles, Brussels, BE
Through the Lens, Deweer Gallery, Otegem, BE
Adele, Galerie Zink, Waldkirchen, DE
2016 Zwart, van houtskool tot high-res,Museum Kranenburgh, Bergen, NL
Schaamte, Museum Dr. Guislain, Ghent, BE
The One - The Real, KROMUS + ZINK, Berlin, DE
Early Spring, tegenboschvanvreden, Amsterdam, NL
2015 Construction/Apparition, La Galerie Particulière, Paris/Brussels, FR/BE
CC Hasselt, Hasselt, BE
Exhibition of the Levallois Prize, Galerie de L’Escale, Levallois, FR
FOAM Talent Exposition, L’atelier Néerlandais, Paris, FR
Kunstenfestival Watou, Watou, BE
Het Grote Ongeduld Xtra, Cinematek, Brussels, BE
Mons 2015, Vidéozone ‘la Maison Folie’, Mons, BE
Ellipse by 2112 Collective, Tokyo Wonder Site, JAP
2014 Angst essen Seele auf, KASK, Ghent, BE
Stimulans, Paardenstallen Broelmuseum, Courtrai, BE
Best Regards, Quai des Arts, Ghent, BE
Unseen, .TIFF, Amsterdam, NL
Bougie Art Foundation, Amsterdam, NL
Angst essen Seele auf, FH Bielefield, DE
Solstice Hiver, These Things Take Time, Ghent, BE
Screenings
2023 It, Stations of the Cross, Hengelo, NL
2022 It, Cinema RITCS, Brussel, BE
It, Lab111, Amsterdam, NL
It, CalArts, Los Angeles, US
2021 It, Filmforum, Los Angeles, US
It, HKW, Berlin, DE
It, Comfort Behaviour, Filmforum, Los Angeles, US
2019 It, Ausland, Berlin, DE
It, REDCAT, Los Angeles, US
It, Festival International du Film sur l'Art, Montreal, CA
It, Musée National des Beaux-Arts, Quebec, CA
It, Glasgow Film Festival, Glasgow, GB
2018 It, Art Pavilion MAS, Antwerp, BE
It, National Art Gallery, Vilnius, LT
It, KASKkrakers, Kaskcinema, Ghent, BE
It, Festival du nouveau cinéma Montréal, Montréal, CN
It, Kaunas International Film Festival, Kaunas, LT
It, Cinema Projects, Oregon Museum of Science and Industry, Portland, US
It, Lima Independiente, Lima, PE
It, VIS Vienna Shorts Festival, Vienna, AT
It, FRACTO Experimental Film Encounter, Berlin, DE
It, Berlinale 2018, Berlin, DE
2017 It (premiere), Cinematek, Brussels, BE
Grants and Awards
2017 ING Talent Award (nomination)
2015 Laureate Prix Levallois
Foam Talent (selected)
2014 Prijs Stichting Stad Gent
Honorable mention, Stimulans, Cortai
201 1 Selected for Input/Output, Bruges
Free Magazine Subscription
Articles, interviews, shows & events. Delivered to your mailbox weekly.