Dirk Braeckman

Almost all of Dirk Braeckman's work is in gradations of black and white, and the subject matter often consists of austerely furnished interiors that evoke a melancholy atmosphere. Occasionally he has done portraits of women who remain as anonymous as the spaces in which they are depicted. As Braeckman himself says, “By keeping it dark and gray or by printing it out of focus, I eliminate part of the information which detracts from the essence. In this way I aim for a purified situation, into which you’re thrown as a viewer. I investigate things that seem insignificant."
 The composition and the moment reveal no preconceived formal or anecdotal intentions, but although these photographs are not narrative, they suggest an entire history. In that sense, Braeckman’s work is never definitive. It remains open beyond the moment, beyond the context.