Local Face of our Time Part 1

Included a sample of a series of 65 portraits, inspired by the work of August Sander. In 1929, Sander published “Anlitz der Zeit”, a series of 60 documentary portraits of Germans in the period between 1920 and 1930, a period of big changes. Excessive hope & optimism, were followed by the 1929 economic crash, the growth of the fascism, …. Sander wanted to produce an objective and realistic image of this period, by portraying people in their profession or role in the society. Nearly 100 years later, our Antwerp society, where I belong to, is also being confronted with big changes. The divide in income and wealth is rising again, the impact of climate change is accelerating, the migration and mix of cultures and religions are accelerating, the shock of the Covid pandemic, the rising mistrust caused by "fake" news, phishing, unwanted filtered messaging in social media,.... This inspired me to give our Antwerp society a face in the way Sander did: "deadpan" documentary portraits, objective, realistic, no forced poses no color or emotions.