Jim Campers’ first solo exhibition

Young Antwerp-based artist is bringing together his two most recent series of photographs

On 18 May, Jim Campers’ (°1990, Antwerp) first solo exhibition opened in M-Museum Leuven. In Forward Escape into the Past, the young Antwerp-based artist is bringing together his two most recent series of photographs. His recurring themes include withdrawal from society, a life in harmony with nature, and the counter-cultures of the 1960s and 1970s. The exhibition runs until 9 September at M. 

A journey through time and ideology

The photographic styles of the Belgian artist Jim Campers are highly varied: some of his images resemble scientific illustrations or travel journals, while others recall advertisements or visual experiments.

Yet not a single work of his is non-committal. Research plays an essential part in the way he approaches his subjects and chooses the geographical locations for his photographs. Campers thus immerses himself in highly specialized subjects via underground literature or online blogs.

In this exhibition, Campers is showing photographs from his two most recent projects: Let’s kill the moonlight (FC) and Intranaut. Both are situated at the intersection of nostalgia and visionary utopia. His recurring themes include withdrawal from society, a life in harmony with nature, and the counter-cultures of the 1960s and 1970s. Hence the title Forward Escape into the Past, which is suggestive of an alternative future for humanity far removed from technological progress, in which human beings seek a connection with their past and with nature. Jim Campers: “My work is about a future society in which people have evolved to a more primitive existence and which has broken the ever-advancing process of improvement in our technological society. Hence the title: ‘Forward Escape into the Past’”.

Walls built of hemp blocks

For Forward Escape into the Past Campers devised a staging that consists of walls built of hemp blocks. This unusual building material is in keeping with ecology, sustainability, technological ingenuity and a return to nature: all themes that form a thread running through the exhibition.

Practical information

Curator: Valerie Verhack
The exhibition Jim Campers. Forward Escape into the Past runs from 18.05.2018 until 09.09.2018 at M-Museum Leuven.

List of works & press release (pdf)

PDF - 45 Kb

Veerle Ausloos

Persverantwoordelijke, M - Museum Leuven

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M Leuven houses an exciting and unique mix of historical and contemporary art in an impressive architectural setting, designed by the renowned Belgian architect Stéphane Beel. M offers a permanent collection and a mix of temporary exhibitions by old masters and contemporary artists.

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