Austellung « Habitat» Ian Dykmans & Charles Desmet

About

CHARLES DESMET (aka Maxime Desmet) (http://www.charlesdesmet.be/)

Charles Desmet was born in Waregem,Belgium, on the 22nd of June 1990.
In 2011 he quit art school and later moved to Berlin to become a painter like his grandfather.
His girlfriend at the time introduced him to photography. Charles is an autodidact, he and his camera are inseparable. After buying his first camera in 2013 he’s been photographing ever since. Having already exhibited in Berlin, people continue to show a significant amount of interest in his work with upcoming shows in Belgium and Germany. For the artist, this is anything but “work”. “I don’t see myself as a photographer but more like a kid with a camera.” he likes to say. He prefers using alter ego’s so he can keep himself in the background where he feels comfortable. He says, “My name is not important, who I am can be seen in my pictures.”

Exhibition
‘Before We Grow Up’
“When I moved to berlin I didn’t had a clue where I would live. Where ever the wind was going to take me was fine by me. I just needed to get out and see the world with my own eyes. One day I found myself sitting on the bed of a house in the east side of Berlin, a more quiet area it seemed. A head popped up in between the crack of the door asking if I was hungry. I joined for supper. Leaving the safety of the door I noticed how many people were around, I wondered if they all lived here. Everyone spoke in German, I didn’t understand a thing. Apparently castings were going on. They told me this place used to be a swingers club. "I want to live in Berlin” I said, “Do you guys maybe know of a place?”. “There’s a room available in the basement, if you want you can have it”. “You can’t stand up straight and there’s no door but the rent is cheap”. Hmmm, I must have made an impression on them. “I’ll take it for one month, if I like it I’ll stay”. After one week I knew it, this is home. These people became friends, friends became family. I care for them. They taught me a lot about life and myself. Officially we lived as 10 but most of the time we were more, sometimes even up to 20. With that many people around there was much to reflect upon. It was an epicurean way of living. There were no rules except for one: whatever is on the kitchen table belongs to everybody. We would stay up late listening to music, play video games 2 days straight, chill in the garden, get wasted, make love, tattoo each other, go party or just play cards until sunrise. The first ones would get out of bed to go to work. Some would go to school whilst others were having what you could call ‘a break from responsibility’. I wasn’t supposed to stay there longer then 4 days but I ended up living there for 3 years. For me, this was the place where I found myself. One month ago the WG separated, each following there own dreams now. We got to grew up together and I want to say thank you for that. But before we do grow up, let’s not forget to be young! I want to dedicate this work to all the people I got to live with and meet in this magic place I got to call home, thank you all.“
Charles Desmet

IAN DYKMANS (http://indx.iandykmans.be/)

Ian Dykmans was born in Liège in 1974.
He really started photography in 2001 when going to night classes at the academy in Ixelles and Anderlecht (in Brussels). Skateboard enthusiast, he was invited to show his pictures abroad (Marseille, Paris, Eindhoven, Frankfort, Malmö) during events related to urban culture.
In 2007, he starts photographing the mural paintings of Bonom and joins him during his nocturnal expeditions. This collaboration will lead to the exhibit «Bonom, le Singe Boiteux» at ISELP and the publication of the eponymous book.
Today, Ian coordinates the photo club of the Ten Weyngaert cutural center and is developing his personal work with, among others, his muse and partner, Myriam Clericuzio

Exhibition
“Habit, habitat, habité”

«For the series “Habit, Habitat, Habité”, I felt quite at home photographing friends or strangers living in a way I feel comfortable with, I mean, look at the size of their house within the nature: it’s humble and respectful. Coming from a “Do It Yourself” background, I was touched by their approach trying to give meaning to all these small actions.» For this serie, the focus is of course on the habitants. If you can find quite a diversity of populations in what is called “light housing”, we see a common goal: the implementation, by themselves, of a valid & viable solution to the housing crisis made fo creativity, "Do it Yourself”… In that sense the habitants are of course at the forefront in this Exhibition. Photographic work put together on the request of the “Réseau Brabançon pour le Droit au Logement (RBDL - Belgium). Since 2012, this network focuses on two priorities: the development of public housing and the cultural & regulatory recognition of light housing.