Geert Goiris – Silent Earth

Geert Goiris, Mirror, 2015

6 March to 18 September 2020
Deutsche Börse AG, The Cube, Eschborn

The exhibition "Geert Goiris – Silent Earth" shows photographs and publications by Belgian artist Geert Goiris (*1971).

In his extensive work, Goiris deals with the possible loss of the world as we know it, with an approach that does not exclude aspects of beauty. On the contrary, in his travels, Goiris captures deserted landscapes, strange rock formations, gnarled trees, and mysterious artefacts with the precision of a large-format camera, imparting them a fascinating physical presence. Objects and landscapes in his photographs are made to appear like melancholic carriers of secrets, impossible to be classified in terms of time or space. The combination of accurate reproduction with the bizarre nature of motifs not only captivates the viewer's gaze, but stimulates our reflections on the state of the world. His images are intentionally unpinned from a specific era, giving the feeling that we could be simultaneously looking at the past and the future. They unite references to exemplary works of photography and traditions in painting without committing to specific genres or pictorial motifs. His style is precise and neutral, causing viewers to feel they are witnesses to a seemingly deserted world. The inexhaustible variety of forms in nature and mankind's sad, abandoned ruins are what captivate his attention. Goiris uses the means of photography like a high-tech magician: through his knowledge of the laws of optics and chemistry and the support of technical aids, he examines his surroundings and elicits a poetic appearance from them.

A large part of the works presented in the exhibition from the years 2000 to 2018 are displayed unframed on horizontal presentation surfaces. The intimate proximity thus created opens up a new perception experience, both spatially and in dealing with the materiality of photography.

Geert Goiris teaches at the Royal Academy of Fine Arts in Antwerp and has been represented in the Art Collection Deutsche Börse since 2009.