Nieuwe Markt

Nieuwe Markt – POI 27

On both sides of the Nieuwe Markt

GPS 51.209786° NB 5.423998° OL
This outdoor exhibition is permanently accessible

Carine Van Gerven | Portraits

Carine Van Gerven (1966, Neerpelt) is a Belgian art photographer and visual artist. After studying monumental painting at the Provincial Higher Art Institute in Hasselt, she worked for many years as an art teacher at WICO campus Mater Dei in Overpelt. 

Photography became her primary means of expression, approaching contemporary themes with a historical and symbolic perspective.

Her work has received several accolades, including the European quality label “Qualified European Photographer” (QEP) and honorable mentions at international competitions such as the PX3 in Paris, the Sienna Creative Awards, and the London International Creative Competition.

In 2017, she founded the international photography festival Lens op de Mens in Pelt, where she continues to serve as president and creative director.

Her work has been exhibited in countries including France (Bourbon Lancy, Saint-Tropez, Arles, Paris) and Serbia (Belgrade).

Van Gerven’s photography is characterized by a poetic visual language, focusing on light, layering, and human stories. She blends her background in painting with contemporary photography to create images that are both intimate and universal.

www.carinevangerven.be

Sonja Sleurs | Sara

Sonja Sleurs (1957) is a board member of Fotofestival Pelt vzw and a passionate photographer whose love for the medium began at a young age. She first explored photography with Polaroid and analogue cameras before transitioning to digital photography.

In 2007, Sonja began formal studies in photography at the Mol Art Academy. Over the years, she has served as the in-house photographer for cultural centre Palethe.

Sara

One of her most intimate and meaningful projects was created in collaboration with Sara, with whom Sonja shared a deep personal bond. This resulted in an intense and heartfelt photo series, with Sara as the central figure.

Sara was a woman who found beauty in everything. Despite a severe illness, she remained remarkably positive and was deeply devoted to life and her family. She faced her illness with immense courage. On 22 July 2017, at the age of 36, Sara passed away. This photo project stands as a tribute to her strength, spirit, and the profound connection between photographer and subject.

Hilde Stevens | Let’s tok

Hilde Stevens is a visual artist and works at the Hogeschool PXL-MAD in Hasselt where she teaches the subject of image analysis. She is a board member, artistic collaborator and co-curator of the Pelt photo festival.

The theme of vulnerability is a constant in her visual work, which takes shape in paper sculptures, but also in the neighbourhood project Let’s Tok in Hasselt, which she coordinates with Igor Foerier. In this project, 10 little hens provide connection between caretakers and passers-by. The chicken run is a place where small and big stories are told, laughter and sadness have a place and caring becomes a verb.

letstok.be

Rudi Theunis | Vulnerable nudes

At a very young age, I was fascinated by photography. As an eight-year-old, I regularly took my parents’ pocket camera and photographed (without their knowledge) my surroundings. My mother was often surprised to find so many landscapes without people again among her newly developed slides. When I turned 12, I got an Olympus Trip 35 as a birthday present. That was my first 35mm (compact) camera, and also the beginning of a real love for photography.

After getting a bachelor’s degree in computer science, I decided to get my photography on track. By now, I was shooting in black and white and had my own darkroom. Yes, that was still in the analogue era. However, I felt the need to complete my knowledge of photography more deeply. Back then, the internet did not exist, and the alternatives were limited to reading books or magazines, or taking a course.
I decided to follow a course at the City Academy of Fine Arts in Hasselt. This training was super cool and gave me the basic knowledge for good compositions, studio lighting, and excellent technical knowledge of analogue photographic processes as well as a love for art photography.

artytea.be

Jos Verhoogen | Burkina Faso

Master Qualified European Photographer – MQEP
Specialities: Portrait, Reportage, Birth Photography

Jos Verhoogen started his career as a press photographer 40 years ago.
In the late nineties he started as a lecturer in photography and press photography at the Thomas More University (Mechelen) in the fields of Journalism and Communication. From 2000 he switched to studio photography, mainly portrait.

But from the very beginning he specialized in birth photography. In this domain he also obtained his QEP in 2012 and MQEP in 2018. He is a pioneer in that field. Photographs taken during a birth were not obvious at the time and are today, about 400 birth reportages later, still not.
He won the Bronze (2015) and Golden (2016) camera at the FEP Photographer of the Year Awards in the reportage category.

In recent years Jos was honoured for abstract and landscape photography (Black and White Spider Awards / International Color Awards 2018/2019). He was selected for IPA 2016 International Photo Awards, Family of Man competition Second place/Silver and the “Family of man” Documentary Photography Exhibition 10/2017 in Lishui China and got a Bronze Award, Monochrome category, FIAP at the China International Digital Photography Art Exhibition 11/2017.

Experienced judge online and print judging, QEP, MQEP in many countries and types of photo competitions.
More about Jos and his awards and judging experience on his website

https://www.verhoogen.be/bio-2
https://www.instagram.com/verhoogenbe/