Back/Stage, A Portrait of Ancienne Belgique
Back/Stage, A Portrait of Ancienne Belgique is the last act of Willem Mevis's trajectory as the in-house photographer of the Brussels concert hall(2024-2026). During his time there, he lost himself in the maze of the backstage. Corridors and storage rooms. In the act of getting lost, he found his inspiration. Mevis documents the backstage as a character.
In his still lifes, the spaces are seemingly empty, but nothing could be further from the truth. Looking closer at these images, you see the presence of the people working there. In the traces of chaos and structure, making the shows of all these artists become reality.
Mevis meets the artists moments before or just after they’ve gone on stage, and manages to capture an intimate and calm portrait. He takes the artist with him into his maze, offering an escape for a brief moment. Giving us a glimpse of the person becoming the artist, or vice versa.
In this photobook, the backstage is not only the backdrop for the portraits; it’s the subject and character guiding the lens towards what we see. Showing the audience places that are usually behind closed doors.
Willem Mevis looks for dualities, and in his work, there are many to discover.
