The expo
Where he focused upon the threat of climate change and rising sea levels in his project 'Moments before the Flood' from 2012, Carl De Keyzer takes this a bit further in 'Higher Ground'. 'Moments before the Flood' presented a picture of the coastal areas that could be flooded by climate change. With 'Higher Ground', De Keyzer seeks to explore an imaginary future, in which people have retreated to the high mountains to escape the rising sea level. The photographs show the daily lives of these new refugees. The beauty of his images stands in stark contrast to the underlying story of these people.
In 2006, when the photographer started working on his project 'Moments before the Flood', a significant portion of the world was still sceptical about climate change. But times have changed. Now the majority of people are convinced of the far-reaching implications of climate change. The photo series therefore invites you to reflect on climate change as one of the great reasons for future migration. The journey to higher ground is, simultaneously, a universal symbol for the human striving for redemption and fulfilment. The historical location of the Red Star Line Museum lends Carl De Keyzer's powerful photos an additional dimension.
For 'Higher Ground', Carl De Keyzer went in search of places in Austria, Switzerland, Germany, France and Spain.
Carl De Keyzer
Carl De Keyzer was born in Kortrijk in 1958 and has been a freelance photographer since 1982. He was co-founder of the photo gallery 'XYZ-Photography' and taught at universities of applied sciences and the Royal Academy of Fine Arts in Ghent. Since 1994, he has been a member of the internationally renowned photo agency MAGNUM.
He has already won many prizes and displays his work regularly in exhibitions within and beyond Belgium. Museums such as the Paul Getty Museum (USA), the Victoria and Albert Museum (UK), la Bibliothèque Nationale de Paris and the ICP in New York have works by him in their collections.
Practical information
- Temporary exhibition in the Shed, from 31 October 2018 until 27 January 2019.