Exhibition

Fifty years after The Americans of Robert Frank, and practically at the same time as the reconstruction of the then pioneering exhibition “New Topographics": Photographs of a Man-Altered Landscape” (George Eastman House, Rochester, 1975), FotoMuseum, through the exhibition American Documents, offers a comprehensive overview of the documentary trends in American photography from the 1970 until now. The work of Lee Friedlander, Diane Arbus, Lewis Baltz, Robert Adams, Henry Wessel, Nicholas Nixon, Stephen Shore, Martha Rossler, Judith Joy Ross, Jerry Thomson, Larry Sultan, Mike Mandel and Mitch Epstein, amongst others, is preceded by exemplary images of Walker Evans and Robert Frank, two figure heads who, each in their own way, ushered in this prominent movement.

All these photographers highlight a social issue that is still very topical today. Rampant industrialization and urbanization fed by an excessive consumption drive left a profound mark on both the American landscape and American society during the second half of the previous century. At the same time, these developments formed the breeding-ground for a critical countermovement. It is against this backdrop that a new photographic picture language developed that abruptly abandoned the idealizing views of previous generations. Through an apparent neutral, 'documentary' representation of everyday reality, it confronted the audience in a critical manner with key social and political issues. Thanks to its serial approach and clear formulation, this type of photography fit in perfectly with the then conceptual and minimalist trends in plastic arts, which earned it a lot of attention from the art world as well.

Besides these historic works, two recent series are also on display in Belgium for the first time: Homeland (2007-2009) by Larry Sultan, and American Power (2009) by Mitch Epstein. Both series of photographs combine especially portraits and landscapes.

Homeland addresses the issue of illegal immigration near the US border. The title is a reference to the US Department of Homeland Security. Sultan serves up a series of “picturesque” and “idyllic” photos of American suburbs where illegal workers and day-labourers hang around on the doorstep of an inaccessible Land of Promise.

In American Power Epstein takes a close look at the United States, taking the dual meaning of the term 'power' (power/energy) as the key word. A journey across the country resulted in a fascinating, but also terrifying photographic state of affairs. He photographed plants, mines, nuclear power plants, wind parks and the devastated landscape after the passage of hurricane Katrina. Through this project, the artist set out to gain insight into the interaction between energy production and consumption, between industrial corporatism and increasing environmental issues. This way, the transformation of the landscape reflects a social order.

They confront us with a political topicality that raises pressing questions and leaves no one untouched. Homeland zeroes in on the issue of illegal immigration near the US border. Sultan serves up a series of “picturesque” and “idyllic” photos of American suburbs populated by illegal workers and day-labourers who hang around on the doorstep of an inaccessible Land of Promise.

Mitch Epstein uses the term power (in both senses) as a key word to question the position of power of the United States. The photos of plants, mines, nuclear power plants and wind parks not only make for a fascinating photographic account, but at the same time also paint a frightening picture of the world we live in.

Antwerp photographer Filip Tas (1918-1997), one of the figure heads of Belgian photography during the second half of the twentieth century, died about thirteen years ago. In 2007, FotoMuseum signed a long-term loan agreement with the heirs of Filip Tas. This resulted in the archive, containing between 20,000 and 30,000 photographs, being opened up and studied. Tas, along with Walter De Mulder, Paule Pia and Frank Philippi, amongst others, belonged to a generation of photographers who managed to reconcile innovative specialist photography and artistic ‘creativity’. At a time when opportunities for artistic photography were scarce, he made a living as a professional photographer. During his free time he would give his creativity a free rein. In practice, these two worlds were not so separate and that is why Tas’ career as a photographer is characterised by this mix.

Over the years, Filip Tas developed a characteristic, immediately recognisable style of his own. Initially, he photographed scenes in the city and in the countryside. His early work was romantic and aesthetic in nature and in line with traditional salon photography of Picturalism. Nevertheless, these early years already saw the foundation being laid of the ‘magic’ applied in the dark room. From 1958 through 1962, Tas participated in the artist movement ‘G58 Hessenhuis’. His innovative photograms fit in perfectly with the geometric abstract art of painting practised by his contemporaries. Thanks to his photograms and abstract photographs (1956-1962), he made a name for himself in the avant-gardist art world. He subsequently reached a wider audience with his poetic report photography, a genre which can be situated in the field of tension between ‘subjective’ photography and photo journalism. An ambivalent attitude towards the growing contrast between tradition and modernity during the 1950s until the 1970s was the thread of the photographer’s work. In series such as ‘Rotweer’ (Lousy Weather) and ‘De Automobiel’ (The Automobile), Tas frequently played with the elements of atmosphere that were created as he photographed traffic in dreary autumn weather. He would often add a subjective touch to the originally documentary images by experimenting with movement blur, playing with light and shadow and by applying solarisation and manipulation in the dark room. This gave the dark sky above his landscapes a menacing tension with an ominous and mysterious atmosphere.

Tas also revealed a gloomy and ironic view of the fast changing reality of the big city by combining different elements in photomontages. It was quite a paradox that these were manipulations of the visible reality at a time when such transformations were actually taking place. His visions of cities were situated between dream and reality. Characteristic of his photography was the combination of atmosphere, poetry, romance and personal tension. He did not want to make purely documentary images, but rather subjective interpretations of the perceptible reality, at first in black and white, later also in colour on occasion.

Filip Tas was an omnivore when it comes to photography. His pictures are not only a good reflection of the Zeitgeist of the period between 1940 en 1990, but also reveal a varied style, technique and theme. Besides his domestic and foreign poetic report photography, which was published on a regular basis in the newspaper De Standaard from 1961 onwards, Tas took artist portraits, made series about Brussels and Brussels monuments, and photographed the sculptures in the open-air museum  ‘Middelheimpark’ during the ever changing seasons. In 1965, Tas released, at the request of publishing house Lannoo, the impressive photo book Antwerpen, Stad aan de Stroom (Antwerp, City by the River). He later also contributed to numerous other photo books. In the 1970s, he travelled around the world with pen and camera and published travel reports in the newspaper De Standaard and the magazines Avenue and Libelle-Rosita. Tas had a special fascination with gravestones and cemeteries, which he photographed all over the world. By now, he was writing about photo exhibitions and photography as a critic for the newspaper De Standaard. Additionally, Tas worked as a TV director for the Plastic Arts department of public broadcaster B.R.T. for a number of years and taught future product developers at the ‘Henry van de Velde Instituut’. 1976 saw an international breakthrough for Tas as he represented Belgium at the Venice Biennial with Heros Place, a series of surrealist photomontages. The authorship Tas had dreamed of as a young man became reality with the publication of short stories in avant-gardist magazines and the publication of the compilation Azalealaan (1989). 

The photographic work of Filip Tas is very valuable, both from a documentary viewpoint and an art-historic viewpoint. During his life, he received recognition through exhibitions and publications. He also won the Prize for Special Merits of the Province of Antwerp and the Prize for Visual Arts of the Flemish Community (1983). Photography was his job, his joy and his life.