Paul D’Haese
About Paul D’Haese
Paul D’Haese (BE, 1958) lives and works in Ternat (BE). He initially started as an interior architect and later trained at the photography academies of Sint-Niklaas and Anderlecht. During his formative journey, he had the opportunity to interact with the British photographer John Davies.
His works have been exhibited since 1997 in both group and solo exhibitions. He consecutively won two awards from the Magnum photography agency in 2016 and 2017. Additionally, he is the recipient of several national open photography awards organized at the Photography Museum in Charleroi. In 2018, he was selected for the Sony Photography Awards for his series "Stuffy Shell," bringing him significant visibility in the world of photography.
Photographic approach of Paul D’Haese
In a broader sense, Paul D’Haese is inclined towards the following extensive themes: territory and its built environment, landscape, architecture, and imagination. These themes are recurrent and manifest in his projects with different approaches. To better understand his approaches, it is worth focusing on three projects that have garnered considerable interest from his audience.
Dagblind (2008)
Comprising multiple photos, the project revolves, as the name suggests, around the concept of sight and the exchange between two subjects (physical or otherwise). As indicated by the project's title, portraits of visually impaired individuals are featured, intertwined with images revealing enclosed spaces (interiors) or architectural forms fitting into a landscape. As discussed by Erik Eelbode, this project raises questions about dialogue and its feasibility in various situations.
Borderline (2016 - 2020)
At the core of this project, Paul D’Haese explores the coast between Bray-Dunes and Le Havre. Through his photos, he documents this particular landscape. As Jean-Marc Bodson notes, his aim is not so much to illustrate the beauty of the place but to faithfully convey the chaotic development of the territory shaped by human societies.
Replica Falsifica (2023)
This work (constituting the project) is presented in the form of a leporello. In it, Paul D’Haese brings together various archetypal illustrations representing abandoned structures, remnants of temples, etc. The uniqueness of these images lies in the fact that they are either created by the artist or collected from the Internet. It serves as an opportunity to question the reproduction and the real origin of an image, as mentioned by Jean-Marc Bodson during the project's introduction.
Exhibitions
Paul D’Haese's work has been presented in numerous venues in Belgium, either as part of exhibitions with multiple artists or in a solo-show. He has exhibited at the M Museum (Leuven), the Photography Museum (Charleroi), Fusée de la Motographie (Brussels), Land van Waaslaan (Ghent), and Contretype (Brussels). He has also had an exhibition at Somerset House in London (UK) and at the Laurent & Laurent gallery in Nice (FR). Finally, he has exhibited three times at Hangar, showcasing his projects 'Borderline,' 'Unseen,' and 'Replica Falsifica' in 2023.
Publications by Paul D’Haese
Many of his projects are later adapted to create a book, contributing significantly to the artistic world. He published his book "Dagblind" in 2010 and "Winks of Tangency" in 2018, released under the Stockmans collections. In 2020, he released his third publication, "Borderline," coinciding with his eponymous exhibition at Hangar.