Photoforum Pasquart is pleased to present the first monographic exhibition of the young Belgian artist Bénédicte Blondeau.

Her work Ce qu’il reste [What remains] addresses the tension between the cool mastery of man-made environment and the strange majesty of organic forms slowly shaped by the natural elements and evolution. Her extraordinarily beautiful photographs have been taken across Europe in museums, courthouses and other official buildings. Almost entirely devoid of human presence, these interiors are silent and venerable transitional spaces: corridors, waiting rooms, exhibition halls, corridors. It is as if humanity has fulfilled its purpose by disappearing once the buildings are completed. In dialogue with this environment, caves, mountains and the seas appear completely indifferent to humanity’s attempt to gain full control of the planet. But the plants, animals and mineral formations also appear frozen in time by the camera, equally dignified and preserved for eternity.

The artist says: “Photography can be considered the medium of the ephemeral. It shows us a moment that undeniably belongs to the past, revealing our passages in an ever-changing reality, like a scar that evokes our memories. It is a metaphor for the fragility of human existence.”

Curated by Danaé Panchaud

With the support of the Foundation Dr. Georg und Josi Guggenheim.

Image: Ce qu’il reste ©Bénédicte Blondeau

Image: Ce qu’il reste ©Bénédicte Blondeau

Image: Ce qu’il reste ©Bénédicte Blondeau

Image: Ce qu’il reste ©Bénédicte Blondeau

Image: Ce qu’il reste ©Bénédicte Blondeau