Bert Danckaert, 'THE STATE OF THINGS' : PLUS-ONE GALLERY (NEW SOUTH)

PLUS-ONE Gallery presents the first solo exhibition at the gallery by Bert Danckaert.

Belgian photographer Bert Danckaert's first solo exhibition 'THE STATE OF THINGS' at PLUS-ONE Gallery brings together work from the series Horizon, True Nature and Unfinished Cities made between 2014 and 2023. Each of the images is a visual exploration of some of the world's most vibrant metropolises: Ha- vana, Bangkok, Tokyo, Guangzhou, Łódź, Mexico City, Macau, Hanoi and Nagasaki. These cities, often mega-cities with complex histories and realities, form the backdrop for Danckaert's photography.

At first glance, the images seem free of human presence. Yet they bear witness to the profound impact of human activity. What remains are the traces of this sometimes absurd activity. Things we often uncon- sciously leave behind in the urban environment take on a striking significance - or lack thereof. The com- positions, stripped to their essence, balance between social document and formal reduction. Rather than intervening in the landscape itself, he directs his images. The tension they evoke is the result of the unpredictable and meaningless coincidences that occur in these urban landscapes. The images chal- lenge a deeper reflection on our world that seems increasingly out of balance, characterized by uncer- tainty and constant nervousness. In these images, humans seem absent or withdrawn into the safety of self-isolation and virtual distraction. Yet these images are inseparable from reality, while at the same time striving for a certain visual autonomy.

Flat and mathematically built compositions suggest a connection to color field painting. Straight lines and colored surfaces refer unmistakably to Malevich's constructivism. A red staircase, yellow and blue color fields... Who's Afraid of Red, Yellow and Blue? These "found paintings" challenge conventions by entering into a dialogue with various artistic disciplines such as painting, installation art and ready-made, while remaining true to photographic strategies and documentary style.

The title of the exhibition 'THE STATE OF THINGS' is taken from Wim Wenders' 1982 film that bears the same name. What begins as a dystopian science fiction film soon turns out to be a film within a film. It combines elements of fiction and documentary style, blurring the lines between reality and fiction. The film has a contemplative and sometimes melancholic atmosphere, with a strong emphasis on the land- scapes and atmosphere. Danckaert's images resonate with the concept of the still life rather than the traditional landscape. Their defined frames, lack of depth and the inanimate objects placed within them create an almost abstract plane. Yet the streets and curbs betray that we are looking at real places, albeit presented as a theatre set where the 'playing surface' and 'background surface' await actors who will never appear.

Danckaert's work takes a look at the world around us, a world we sometimes unconsciously shape and leave behind. The way we create and arrange our environment reflects who we are and our way of think- ing. These aspects of our culture and society remain ever-present, even if we do not consciously pay attention to them.