‘With my pictures and sculptures, I seek the beauty in the tragical, in pain.’
Barbara Vandendriessche worked for 20 years as a director and set designer at the theatre. But more and more, photography, which she initially regarded as a sideline invaded her professional path. Vandendriessche discovered how her experience within the theatre influenced the language of her photography and experienced a sense of “back to basics”, of re-sourcing.
In order to be able to clarify this more, Vandendriessche decided to leave the black box in 2017 and tell her story on the basis of photos and sculptures. Her photos are often staged and focus on physicality, emotion or expression. They look for physical and psychological vulnerability. Vandendriessche sculptures are a study of damage, both in the use of matter and in the expression of an emotionality. The broken, the damaged, the unfinished and confused are represented in different ways through heads and bodies. Yet there is always a “sparkle”, sometimes figuratively, sometimes literally, perceptible.
Vandendriessche creates the whole image as photographer, stylist and set designer.
Self-taught or art school?
As a photographer, I am self-taught. But obviously, my work as a theatre director and stage designer influenced me a lot in my image-making.
If you could own one work of art what would it be?
I have been extremely impressed by Picasso’s ‘La Guernica’. I knew the work from books, and I am not even a Picasso-fan, but when I say that immense painting, I was blown away by it. It has so much expression in it, without being very literal. It is the power within it that pops right in your face.
How would you describe your style?
My work is an expression of emotions, is visual poetry.
Can you tell us about your artistic process?
Ideas can come rather slowly; I have to brood on them ;-).
It can start from a person, a piece of clothing, a tissue, an object, a place…
Once it is clear in my head, I gather what I need, and ‘on the work floor’, I start to improvise.
Is narrative important within your work?
Yes and no. There has to be a secret. I don’t want everything to be shown. As a spectator, you may create your own narrative.
Who are your favourite artists and why?
I like the work of Belgian artist Berlinde De Bruyckere. Her wax sculptures are very fragile yet very confronting. Tim Walkers photography work is also an inspiration. He has a lot of guts. The work of Erwin Olaf belongs to my favourites because of his perfection in the image (the models, the technique, the set design). Something I don’t have. I like it a lot in his work, but I will always allow imperfections.
What or who inspires your art?
I like baroque paintings. Being born in Belgium, having to go to church, we were surrounded by those expressive paintings. I think as a child I liked the colours and the theatricality about them. Maybe also the semi-naked bodies. As a child, I was also very fond of Greek mythology. It is still inspirational to me.
Where’s your studio and what’s it like?
In the centre of Brussels, in a building of an assurance company. They had a complete floor that will stay empty for some time. They offered me to use the space. I am there for one year now, and it is really becoming my space. Once the door is shut, everything is possible there. I love it and would be very sad when they will transform the space into offices.
Do you have any studio rituals?
Not really. But sometimes I can be a bit messy, leaving clothes behind, or attributes. Now I always clean up before I start working. In a way, it clears my head and it gives me also some ideas.
What are you working on currently?
I am making photos that start with female artists I like.
I made one shoot starting from Camille Claudel, Rodin’s muse and lover.
I also did a shoot that started from the baroque female painter Artemisia Gentileschi.
I still have to continue on the Camille Claudel and Artemisia images. And I planned to start from Frieda Kahlo’s artistic world to make new material (but then the second lockdown came).
Where can we buy your art?
