Brussels -
A Love Story

Halles Saint-Géry / Sint Gorikshallen, Brussel. May 2015. 

Our third exhibition held in the glorious Halles Saint-Géry / Sint Gorikshallen. Viewfinders is a club that brings Belgians and foreign residents together around a shared passion for the photographic image, using English as a "Lingua Franca". Our first exhibition was very much in the lines of "Brussels as seen by its ex-pat community", while our second - "You Are [not] Here" put Brussels firmly at the centre of the globe as the start and end-point of a journey around the world, to places where many of the ex-pat members hail from. With this third exhibition, we come again full circle to put the city of Brussels at the very centre, giving the photographers room to express their love of this city that is their home: a city that has played a pivotal role throughout European and world history and continues to do so today. Its open and cosmopolitan culture has drawn people from far and wide, to settle here (some of our non-Belgian members have been here longer than some of our Belgian members!) and fall for the charms of this wonderful city. The reasons for falling in love with Brussels are as varied and diverse as the artists describing them here, for you, in a collection of photographs frozen in time.

Re-exhibiting in Gasthuisberg Hospital, Leuven. March-April 2016

After the original exhibition in May 2015 in Brussels, Viewfinders was offered the opportunity to re-exhibit the images at the "Gasthuisberg" academic hospital in Leuven, for the months of March and April 2016. Gasthuisberg is a very large teaching hospital - the largest in Belgium. With between 10.000 and 20.000 people on the site, it is often compared to being a town in its own right. The hospital regularly displays arts in its corridors and waiting areas. These are greatly appreciated by patients, staff and visitors alike, being a welcome distraction from the rigours of hospital life that is, by the nature and calling of the hospital, often stressful. We were therefore very proud to be allowed to exhibit there. Some 17 new images were produced to complement the original set, bringing the total to 58 prints by in total 25 photographers, in the beautiful "Chromaluxe" process.

Acknowledgments

We would like to warmly thank the following people. Without their dedication and support, this project would not have been possible.

• Sponsors: ChromaLuxe, Labo JJ Micheli.

• Curation: Michael Chia (Creatif Photography), Alun Foster.

• Image Selection Advice: Coordinated by Brendan Barnes and Caroline Hendry

• Location Manager: Michael Chia

• Facilitator: Alun Foster

• Secretary: Richard Sylvester

• Treasurer: Ana Agundez

• Print Coordinator: David Van den Bunder

• Print Consultants: Kevin Scarlett, Charles Henniker-Heaton (ChromaLuxe), Jean-Jacques Micheli (Labo JJ Micheli)

• Graphics Design / Publicity: Kevin Scarlett

• Copy Editor: Jette Rossen

• Text: Alun Foster (EN). Translations: Robert Paridaens (FR, BRX), Alun Foster / David Van den Bunder (NL)

• Web support: David Van den Bunder / Alun Foster

• Web programming: Alun Foster

• Vernissage / Volunteer Coordinator: Caroline Hendry.

• Volunteers: Martin Schmid, Peter Easton, Robert Paridaens, Nathan Wasjman, and many other members of the Viewfinders club.

• Project coordinator at Halles Saint-G�ry/Sint Gorkishallen: Jean Lauhouh (events manager)

• Project coordinator at UZ-Leuven Gasthuisberg: Caroline Van Lier. Special thanks to Robert Paridaens for coordinating this event.

Exhibition images printed using ChromaLuxe, produced with the kind collaboration of Labo Micheli:

The Photographers

Alun Foster (www.dafos.be) My name is Alun, and I take photographs. I'm British / Belgian and am an incurable Belgophile, having lived most of my life here. I came to live near Brussels in a time before the Palais de Justice / Justitiepaleis was covered in scaffolding and lived many years in the residential towns around, before finally settling to live IN the city I'd so fallen in love with. I've been taking photographs since I was about five. Putting these two things together makes me an exceptionally happy person and I hope to show this with these images.

Beáta Šaková (www.viewfinders.be)

Brendan Barnes (www.viewfinders.be) I am British, 57 years old and living in Brussels for the past 13 years. I started taking photos after I moved here. People associate Brussels with surrealism and that influenced my choice of pictures for the exhibition, together with the city's architecture.

Christine Jonckheere (www.atomium.be - Christine Jonckheere - SABAM 2015) Photography has always interested me and has recently become hobby # 1. I bought my first camera when I was about 10 years old. It was a very little camera, at the modest price of 64 Belgian Franks (1,60 euro)! Every day I passed by the shop, saving up the money, as my dad had refused me a 'loan'. Eventually, I bought better cameras but switched to a 'point and shoot' after having my 2 wriggling boys.  I lived in beautiful Canada for 23 years, but now that I am back to my native Belgium I see the beauty of Europe I missed when I took it for granted. I have started taking pictures again beyond the 'family portraits' and am appreciating even more details looking through my 'viewfinder'. My friend, Teresa, invited me to a Viewfinder's meeting last fall, and although still intimidated, I am hoping I will achieve something close to the awesome pictures made by some members. . . eventually.  

Dagmara Jabukowska (www.viewfinders.be) I am originally from Poland and have been living in Brussels for over ten years. My interest in photography started when I got a Yashica SLR from my parents years ago. In 2008 I got my first digital SLR camera, which I still use today. What I enjoy most is landscape, as well as travel photography - the two are often intertwined. My travel images have been displayed at one of the previous Viewfinders exhibitions. However, I find Brussels offers a lot of inspiration as a photographic subject, with often surprising image opportunities.  

Éva Széll (www.szelleva.com) My name is Éva Széll and I'm Hungarian. I live and work in Brussels and whenever I just can, I get my way to discover the world around. On the journey the camera records what my eyes see beyond the visible: power and beauty of nature, unique moments, parallel universes. Then I externalise my visions into an abstract canvas leaving the viewer complete freedom of interpretation. I have been a member of Viewfinders for a few months; I enjoy the fruitful and inspiring discussions. Last year I participated in the group-exhibition 'Retrography' curated by Michael Chia.

Ewa Iwicka (www.viewfinders.be) I am Polish, and became a member of the Viewfinders club almost immediately after I came to Belgium. Being a member lets me enjoy a creative and joyful fellowship with a group of people who share a common passion for photography. The images that I have seen during my time as a Viewfinder, discussions with the fellow club members, workshops and presentations by great professional photographers have changed and enriched the way I look at things around me, and the way that I try to capture them. I began my photographic adventure as a young teenager, taking black and white pictures that I developed myself in the darkroom. Now, many years later, I more and more tend to go back to the magic of the black and white photography, although now it is digital. My pictures shown at this exhibition are a part of those experiments. (Ewa sadly passed away in 2020. We keep her pictures here as a testament to her beautiful photography).

Jette Rossen (www.viewfinders.be) Originally from Southwest Denmark and in Brussels since 2002. I have always had an interest in taking photos when travelling, and since I bought my first DSLR in 2008, I am constantly exploring its many possibilities through workshops and on trips with Viewfinders. I truly enjoy the club meetings and the day and weekend trips. It is a unique opportunity to watch and learn and to exchange tips and tricks. It has certainly inspired me to look at things from a different angle and to be more creative with my camera. My favourite subjects are cityscapes, landscapes and those funny little details you often come across when wandering around looking at a new place.

Kenneth Carranza (kennethcarranza.com) Hi. I'm Kenneth Carranza. I've been working in photography and communication for more than 7 years now, the last 3 based in Brussels. When I started with this project, I tried to get deeper than taking a peek at people's life, making each photo a metaphor of the life of an expat here in the city. I hope you enjoy it.

Kevin Scarlett (www.viewfinders.be)

Lea Spiljak (www.viewfinders.be) I've been taking photos for almost all of my life and together with travelling; photography has become one of my biggest passions. It has awakened my curiosity for stories behind people's faces, things and places that I have visited and experienced. What I like about photography is that it captures a moment that's gone forever but the memory stays. Originally from Slovenia, I have now settled in Brussels, since moving here for work in 2007. All those years have given me the opportunity to get to know this very photogenic city. I am not ashamed to admit that I really like the place. This exhibition gave me a chance to show its beauty in my own way. Both photographs were taken at place Flagey, the hipper-than-hip square of the city at night. They represent the contrasts found within the city, and the feelings these different scenes provoke.

Maarten De Boeck (maartendeboeck.vsco.co/grid/1) I love to read literature. I easily loose myself in the visual arts and photography. I love travelling far and wide: in Africa, Cuba, Brazil, though Brussels is my place called 'home'. I focused for this exhibition on the area behind Thurn en Taxis where currently a park is being constructed. A wonderful project of urban renewal it is: from a former wasteland is shaped a great green 'lung' from metro stations Belgica, Pannenhuis and Bockstael all the way to the old railway hangars of Thurn en Taxis, the largest park designed in Brussels since the 19th century.

Martin Schmid (www.m-art-in-photography.com) Martin was born under the white and blue skies of Bavaria in Germany, and is now living and working in Brussels. He grew up around Munich in Germany and his interest in photography originated already quite early in his childhood, and soon he got his first own camera from his grandfather, which was a viewfinder camera with a foldable lens in a nice brown leather holster. Martin studied 'Photokunst' at the RHOK Academy in Etterbeek, and is a long-term member of the Viewfinders photo club where he already participated in different exhibitions. 2014 he was participating in the parcours d'artistes in St. Gilles / Forest. His photographic interests are people photography including studio work, as well as street photography or urban landscapes.

Martin Szekeresh (martinszekereshphotography.weebly.com/) I was born and raised in southern California in the 60's and 70's. Later I made my 'fortune' with seasonal work over a 26-year period in Alaska, this allowed me to have six months free every year to travel the exotic parts of the world. I finally married in 2011 to a woman who works for the EU, it's because of my wife that I have quit Alaska, retired early, and adopted Brussels as my new home. I now have time, plenty of time, to do what I have always loved which is taking photos of what I find beautiful, interesting, or demonstrative of the magic of life. We all share a common sensibility, a similar sentiment. I hope that others get as much of a 'kick' out of my photographs as I do. I naturally gravitate towards nature (where I'm happiest) in my photography but am always open to seize any opportunity for a good shot when it presents itself.

Nathan Wajsman (www.frozenlight.eu) I was born in Poland, grew up in Denmark, and as an adult have lived in the USA, Belgium, Switzerland, the Netherlands, and since 2007, Spain. My 5 years in Overijse were a very happy time, and I very much enjoy coming back to visit. I am an economist, working for an EU agency located in Spain, so my work takes me to Brussels about once a month. I am firmly convinced that one does not need to travel to exotic places to make interesting photography; on the contrary, I do my best work either in the city where I live (Alicante) or in places like Brussels which I know so well that they have become a second home for me. The key to my photography is simple: always, ALWAYS carry a camera. I do not even walk my dog without a camera with me. The images are everywhere; it is a matter of keeping one's eyes open and the camera at the ready.

Paula Cagli (www.paulacagli.com) Originally from Philadelphia, I made my first foray into photography when I was studying for my bachelor's degree in art history. In preparation for my junior year in Rome, I bought an all-manual camera and took a university course to learn how to use it. I had a fabulous professor who taught me just as much about aesthetics and visual communication as he did about technique. I have since developed a substantial photographic archive, switched to a digital camera, and worked toward my master's degree in art history in London. Although my greatest love remains the Italian Renaissance, Belgium has permitted me to gain a profound understanding and a sincere appreciation of Art Nouveau.

Peter Easton (www.photoeaston.com) Originally from London, I have been living in Brussels for 10 years - after various locations in between - since moving here for work in 2005, with my family. I love living in Brussels, a very photogenic city, for its people, architecture, festivals and the clash and interweaving of cultures. Like many photographers, I enjoy the opportunities for photography from international travel. However, living as an expatriate is a form of perpetual travel, in which you experience constant reminders – exciting and frustrating, significant and minor – of the differences between the current world around you, from the environment and culture you grew up in. Living in Brussels gives us the opportunity to discover the many wonderful, often subtle secrets of the city, which visitors, whether for business or pleasure, rarely get to know.

Richard Sylvester (www.viewfinders.be) I took my first photography course 45 years ago while I was still living in Florida. Although I learned how to develop black and white film and make my own prints, I moved on to colour which had a certain fascination for me. I have had the privilege of living in Brussels for more than 25 years. Brussels has undergone quite a few changes over the years so there is still much to discover and rediscover in this extraordinary city. It is a wonderful place to take photos, whether you are interested in its architecture or the calm of its many green spaces. Although fascinated by colour, I found myself returning full circle to monochrome for this exhibition. Without the distraction of colour, composition and geometric patterns take centre stage and allow one to appreciate the underlying beauty and diversity of this city I call home.

Robert Paridaens (www.viewfinders.be) I am a medical oncologist and professor of oncology at the Catholic University Leuven (KUL). Since my (partial) retirement in 2013, I became professor emeritus with academic mission, presently exerting my expertise in hospitals affiliated to the KUL. This part-time professional activity leaves me more time to devote to my beloved family, to my Rotary Club (Bruxelles Renaissance, president 2014-2015) and to photography, my main hobby for more than thirty years. My grandchildren call me 'Papyrazzi', and indeed, I am fond of instant portraits and snapshots, capturing mood and atmosphere. Born in Brussels, and still living there, I am a 'Zinneke' fluent in French, Dutch and 'Brusseleir', the most colourful language of the world. I love my city and I am fascinated by abstraction, surrealism, humour and Belgian comic strips. The sea also inspires me a lot, plenty of my favourite pictural subjects being taken at the Belgian seaside. The Viewfinders Club, which I recently joined, gives me the opportunity to share my passion with great photographers and to improve my technical skills to freeze time and dreams.

Teresa Mills-Clark (www.viewfinders.be) My name is Teresa and I have lived in Brussels, off and on, since 2003. Initially, after three short years, we were posted back to Canada but it was such a wrenching experience that we quit our jobs in order to move back within a year. It was also in 2003 that my passion for photography was rekindled. In particular, travel photography. It combines the elements I am most drawn towards: an area's landscape, its people, their cultures, customs and history. And these elements are found everyday in this beautiful country of Belgium. When speaking to family and friends about 'why Brussels?' I invariably begin by saying, 'We love living here!' and continue in that vein until either their eyes glaze over or it's time for another beer. So, how to narrow down this all encompassing 'love affair' with Brussels? I have chosen to highlight how this city harmonizes its urban setting with an abundance of parks, gardens and woods. Making Brussels the 'greenest capital in Europe'. My photo selections represent 'From Urban Cobbles' to 'Surrounding Green Spaces'.   

Caroline Hendry (www.viewfinders.be)

Rick Barfoot () At weekends and on holidays I take the opportunity to take photographs, a great diversion from the working week. As I have lived in Brussels for 16 years I have collected many photographs of life in around the city.

Jason Kravitz (jason.aminus3.com) As a photographer, software engineer, musician and dreamer, I thrive on creative expression and fostering positive change through the intersections of consciousness and technology. Originally from the United States, I have been living in and around Brussels for over a decade. I am the co-creator and chief of Aminus3, a photography community with members from over 100 countries.

Jeroen van Gent (jeroenvangent.eu) Although still very fond of my hometown, Amsterdam, where I was born and raised, I've always felt curious about discovering new places. My work has brought me to many countries, helping me to discover and appreciate the rich variety in both the natural and the cultural world around us. I now live in Brussels; a new environment, new discoveries, certainly also on the photographic level.

Philippe Clabots (photos.philippec.be) My name is Philippe. I was born in Brussels and lived here since 1962.

Like most of the 'Brusselaars (Brussels inhabitant)', my feelings are quite confused regarding Brussels. I can see the drawbacks but I can also feel what makes it so good to live in: The people from all around the world, the parks, the chaotic organisation, … I'm pretending to be a photographer for a few years now and it's always a joy to take the camera and have a walk in the city, even more with the good fellows of Viewfinders.