Time is the central theme in the oeuvre of the Belgian David Claerbout, who is among the best-known video artists of his generation

In the past few years in particular, major solo exhibitions of his work have been held in Europe (Centre Georges Pompidou, Paris; De Pont, Tilburg) and North America (MIT, Cambridge; Belkin Art Gallery, Vancouver). In his visually overwhelming works Claerbout experiments both with photographs he has found, often of a historical nature, as well as with reconstructed images and his own film material. In a new form of imagery that transcends the boundaries between the media of photography and film, he almost imperceptibly adds movement to static pictures while bringing film footage virtually to a standstill. Claerbout often focuses on unspectacular everyday occurrences lasting a few seconds or minutes which he then condenses into impressive parables about the meaning of life and the transience of time. At the same time, his technically complex works question the perception and accuracy of images in the light of our increasingly digitalised world.

To mark the recent acquisition of two works by the artist for the Sammlung Moderne Kunst, the exhibition includes three new space-filling installations created in the past few years. The presentation will be complemented by two early works in black and white. The exhibition is being devised in close cooperation with David Claerbout and his studio.
David Claerbout, born in 1969 in Kortrijk, studied at the Nationaal Hoger Instituut voor Schone Kunsten in Antwerp from 1992 until 1995, and in 1996 at the Rijksacademie van Beeldende Kunst in Amsterdam. He spent 2002 in Berlin on a DAAD grant. In 2007 he received the renowned Will-Grohmann-Price, in 2010 he was honoured with the Peill Price. He has participated in a number of international exhibitions and, among other shows, will be represented at the São Paulo Art Biennial in 2010. David Claerbout lives and works in Antwerp and Berlin. Further information can be found under: www.davidclaerbout.com

»The triangle of continuity is composed of the past, present and future. I attempt to capture these three elements on the same plane. In my videos I try to create an awareness for the history of an image, its position in the present and the meaning the future could hold.« (David Claerbout)
 
Responsible curator: Dr. Inka Graeve Ingelmann
Head of Department Photography and New Media