02 november 2023, Yves Joris
Bram Kinsbergen: the eternity of the moment
During the Light at the End exhibition, Belgian artist Bram Kinsbergen embarks on a quest to find the eternity of the moment in an era of digital imagery. In this solo exhibition, which opened its doors on 28 October at the Everyday Gallery, visitors are taken on a captivating journey through pictures and experiences, shedding light on the darker side of our digital obsession with capturing and sharing images.
"In the world of art and imagery, it's often the fleeting nature that leaves the deepest impression," Pablo Picasso once said. This notion comes to life in Light at the End, where Bram Kinsbergen's paintings invite deep introspection on how we document our memories and moments. As Picasso observed, in the world of art and imagery, transience can leave a more profound mark than we often realise.
Bram Kinsbergen, They would never find the same place again, 2023, Everyday Gallery
The profound impact of transience
Kinsbergen's paintings capture the essence of this concept, confronting us with the complex relationship between preserving significant moments and the ephemerality of images in our digital age. The artist calls for a profound understanding of the desire for something original, something unspoiled, away from the digital tumult that engulfs us.
The exhibition initiates a dialogue about the yearning to experience something authentic in a world saturated with digital images. Kinsbergen explores the tension between the human impulse to capture moments and the awareness that an excess of images can overshadow the experience itself. In his own words, as the artist notes, "An image can preserve and evoke an original experience, but an excess of images can in fact ruin the experience." This quote from Bram Ieven regarding Kinsbergen's work vividly illustrates the ambiguity of images, as they can both delicately hold memories and ruthlessly overshadow the actual experience.
For his compositions, the artist relies on existing images, often sourced from tourist brochures and reports. This approach is no coincidence. In a world where everyone constantly captures pictures with their digital cameras and smartphones, he poses a fundamental question: How can we truly experience and appreciate the real world when drowning in a sea of images? It serves as a reminder that, instead of paying attention to our surroundings, we often endlessly scroll through the images on our smartphones. Instead of capturing the original moments of our day, we yearn for distant places we've seen in tourist brochures.
Bram Kinsbergen, The last drop, 2023, Everyday Gallery
The paradox of authenticity
Kinsbergen reminds us that our desire for the original and unspoiled is not without consequences, much like the colonial gaze of the past, which thirsted for discoveries while simultaneously inflicting harm on humanity and nature. The exhibition raises the question of whether our contemporary longing for authenticity and unspoiled beauty mirrors the same mistakes of the past. In a way, we are deceiving ourselves, seduced by the promise of untouched beauty while unknowingly destroying the world we claim to cherish.
Light plays a central role in the exhibition. It is depicted in various forms, from sunlight breaking through the clouds to pale moonlight illuminating dark waters, and from the warm glow of a fire to the gleaming light of a smartphone. Kinsbergen explores the contrast between the warm, natural light he seeks and the shiny light of our smartphones that often attract us. The light symbolises not only the visual allure of images, but also the choices we make daily between capturing moments and truly experiencing them.
Bram Kinsbergen, It had changed him, 2023, Everyday Gallery
The artist also invites visitors to reflect on the transience of images and their impact on our experiences. It reminds us that, amidst the proliferation of images in our digital age, we must not forget the precious moments. Kinsbergen's paintings serve as a beautiful reminder of the necessity to occasionally put down our smartphones and embrace the real world before that unspoiled essence is lost forever.
The Light at the End exhibition is not merely a showcase of magnificent paintings, but a profound exploration of our relationship with images, experiences and the fragility of the moment. It reminds us that, in the midst of a rapid digital world, the ability to truly experience and preserve moments is an art in itself. This marks the second collaboration between Everyday Gallery and Bram Kinsbergen, a partnership that leaves us longing for more.
Bram Kinsbergen, Light at the end, 2023, Everyday Gallery
