Name: Claire Dekens
Address: Alkenhoofseweg 35,
3520 Zonhoven, Belgium
Tel: 011 911 303
Mobile: 0468 29 65 79
Email: info@clairedekens.be
Born in 1966, Claire Dekens discovered a way to express herself using photography
at the age of 48. Dekens graduated at the SASK (Stedelijke Academie voor Schone
Kunsten) in Hasselt ( Belgium ).
In her ongoing quest of mastering the image, she enrolled into the Bachelor Visual
Arts & Photography at the Luca School of Arts in Genk ( Belgium ). She put aside her
job as a webdeveloper and became fulltime focussed at her new passion.
Dekens’ photography is mainly charactarized by it’s use of vivid colors. Her work of
art consists of still life, sometimes in combination with self-portraits and portraits. It
often references social themes and is humorous too at times.
Claire Dekens works and lives in Zonhoven, Belgium.
You can use photography in different ways. You can make people think, confuse
them or make them smile. This way you can create awareness with regard to social
themes.
Claire Dekens’ projects have one thing in common. With the still lifes and/or (self)
portraits, the photographer draws attention to a theme that most of us are confronted
with in our contemporary lives. These are often themes such as environmental
pollution, climate change or gender issues. Her work always deals with themes that
are not only close to her heart, but that should also urgently receive more attention
in our current society. Her research forms a solid foundation for her photographic
projects. She sees her work as a silent form of activism.
The visual language Claire uses can be described as abstract. This means that the
photos do not always tell explicitly what it is about. This way everyone can fill in a
piece of his or her own story. Her use of color ensures that the work never becomes
really gloomy, even when it comes to serious themes such as grief.
2022 – 2023 Expert Class Bookdesign (Cum Laude)
Plantin Instituut voor Typografie (Antwerpen)
2020 – 2022 Master Visual Arts / Photography (Cum Laude)
Luca School of Arts (Genk)
2017 – 2020 Bachelor Photography (Magna Cum Laude)
Luca School of Arts (Genk)
2012 – 2017 Fotokunst
Stedelijke Academie voor Schone Kunsten (Hasselt)
2022 Bookbinding – Tine De Souter
2021 Fashion Photography – Klaartje Lambrechts
2020 Bookmaking – Teun van der Heijden
2020 Virtual Vanity – Sarah & Charles
2019 Visual storytelling. Dissecting methodologies – Jan Rosseel
2018 Bas Losekoot
2017 Wetenschappelijk schrijven – Hilde Bijnens
2016 DOP - Nicolas Karakatsanis and Nils Valkenborgh
2014 Une seance avec... - Jerome Bonet
2023 Het gesprek – CCHA (Hasselt) (Upcoming: 10 Sept. – 10 Nov. 2023)
2022 Exit – CCHA (Hasselt)
2021 Try-out – Dommelhof (Pelt)
2021 Surviving Extinction – Complex Nature , Z33 (Hasselt)
2020 Weird is Wonderful, Wonderful is Weird – C-Mine (Genk)
2019 Lens op de mens – Overpelt
2019 #FotoCosaBa 6° edición – Madrid
2014 Nice to meet you – Part of the workshop with Jerome Bonet – Arles
2022 Het gesprek
2021 Shifting Grounds
2020 Invisible Women
2019 50°59’NB 5°23’OL
2023 Het gesprek – Self Published (Release date: 10 Sept. 2023, ISBN 9789464774160)
2019 Siena International Photo Awards 2019 – Shortlist
2019 #FotoCosaBa 6° edición – Madrid – Shortlist
2019 35 Awards 5th – 2nd stage