The beginning and starting point of Erwin Van den Brande’s works are images, movies, objects and scenes from everyday life that amaze, inspire or bring him piece of mind. It is all about man’s quest for tranquillity, aestheticism, for “being” instead of “doing”, for confirmation and structure in our life. This often reveals humanity’s pettiness and a sense of absurdity. Erwin Van den Brande’s images intend to derive reality of its context and thus render it timeless. He portrays reality as he experiences it, not as he or we see it. This allows him to distance himself from the actual world and from society. The images’ aim is to create an idyll and a utopia: a space for reflection, contemplation and tranquillity. A stimulus to daydream.
The common thread through his work is nostalgia, with which he connects the “past” to the “present”. This nostalgia is emphasized both thematically and formally. For example, by means of desaturating colours, playing with focus.
