David de Beyter

David de Beyter defines himself as a photographic artist. Trained at the École nationale supérieure des arts visuels de La Cambre in Brussels, he conducts both documentary and conceptual research through his silver-based photographs and video installations. Captivated by a given territory, as much for its physiognomy as for its human exploitation, David de Beyter explores the history of a place. He conducts his research through archives, but also through his own eyes, scrutinizing every detail until the landscape is exhausted. His work is currently represented by Galerie Bacqueville.

In his series The SkepticsDavid de Beyter explores the fascinating history of the Canary Islands. Since the late 70s, these islands have been the scene of the scene of extraterrestrial contact experimentsattracting some 10,000 believers and skeptics to the heights of Tenerife. In the heart of these desert landscapes, nicknamed "magical placesancient troglodyte caves - once home to indigenous populations - have been transformed into shelters for these sects eager for answers.

Are we looking at an arid North American desert, a Spanish volcanic landscape or a lunar landscape? David de Beyter plays on this ambiguity that disorients our senses.. The amplification of yellow hues evokes the ageing aesthetic of Ektachrome film, while the darker landscapes in this series, obtained by blocking out UV rays, plunge us into an artificial nocturnal atmosphere.

Fascinated by the world of science fiction, mystery and space, David de Beyter shakes up our reference points with a disconcerting treatment of the silver image. By incising the negative with a thin blade, the photographer a fragment of reality to add an artifact to the skies of his landscapes.. This alteration echoes ufologist theoriesthe new age movement of the 70s and 80s, which ardently refuted UFO sightings as optical phenomena or image errors.