info@faassen-verdijk.com

For six years now, we have been working as an artist duo. Our collaboration began with a shared interest in photography’s relationship to culture and heritage. This interest was not surprisingly and directly influenced by our prior studies in psychology and history. Photography’s attraction as a medium, its historical connection to the production and fixation of identity, the politics of representation, power relations and debates over what exactly is pictured have inspired us.

Explorations of contemporary socially engaged art in relation to (post)colonialism led to a new direction of our artistic practice – which had the main focus in our residency at HISK. Our work explores a central paradox in our culture : the excited denial of racism and colonial violence coexisting alongside aggressive racism and xenophobia.

In 2017 we initiated publiekeacties as an artistic publishing platform focusing on collaboration and decolonization in order to challenge unjust power structures in society. On the one hand we provide a platform for voices that are less heard or suppressed in society, on the other hand we challenge the (more) dominant voices to reflect on their privileges. The artistic platform provides space for people to come together and explore new forms of representation.

Vesna Faassen

female
18 | 03 | 1986
Nationality: Dutch
Living and working in Antwerp & Amsterdam

2016-2017 HISK Higher Institute of Fine Arts Ghent, BE
2014-2015 MA Royal Academy of Fine Arts Antwerp, BE
2011-2014 BA Royal Academy of Fine Arts Antwerp, BE
2008-2009 MA Neuropsychology, Radboud University Nijmegen, NL
2005-2008 BA Psychology, Radboud University Nijmegen, NL


Lukas Verdijk

male
14 | 11 | 1984
Nationality: Dutch
Living and working in Antwerp

2016-2017 HISK Higher Institute of Fine Arts Ghent, BE
2014-2015 MA Royal Academy of Fine Arts Antwerp, BE
2011-2014 BA Royal Academy of Fine Arts Antwerp, BE
2003-2010 BA Teacher of History and Civics, HAN University, NL


 Exhibitions
2021 upcoming  Cc Strombeek, Through Her/True Her (Brussels, BE)
2020 upcoming  Dakar Biennale, African Art Book Fair (Dakar, SN)
2020 upcoming  Onomatopee, Being Imposed Upon (Eindhoven, NL)
2020 ARGOS, centre for audiovisual arts, 23 Quai du Commerce  (Brussels, BE)
2019 Tick Tack, HISK video screening (Antwerpen, Be)
2019 SOKL Festival, p.r.i.v.i.l.e.g.e education centre (Antwerpen, BE)
2019 De Brakke Grond, Being Imposed Upon (Amsterdam, NL)
2018 CC Strombeek, Being Imposed Upon (Strombeek, BE)
2018 Mu.ZEE, Wanneer we spreken over kolonisatie (Ostend, BE)
2018 Pianofabriek, Festival Congolisation #3 (Brussels, BE)
2017  HISK laureates 2017, The grid and the cloud (Brussels, BE)
2017 Governors House, HISK, Trust in the Unexpected (Ghent, BE)
2017 La Dent Creuse, Hypercorps, For the first time 2 (Brussels, BE)
2016 In de ruimte, The Super Narrative (Ghent, BE)
2016 BORG Biennale, Let’s gentrify everything (Antwerp, BE)
2016 DE Studio, The Moving Image (Antwerp, BE)
2016 Zwart Wild, Nucleo, The act of staring at the sun (Ghent, BE)
2016 ARIA, Antwerp Research Institute of the Arts, Interrupting the city (Antwerp, BE)
2016 CC Maasmechelen, Ten Dans – Lieven Segers nodigt uit (CC Maasmechelen, BE)
2015 Factor 44, Radio Centraal, LOOOOONG (Antwerp, BE)
2015 ITHAKA23 (Leuven, BE)
2015 Cinema Zuid, Silent Circle (Antwerp, BE)
2015 Stieglitz Gallery, Antwerp Art Weekend (Antwerp, BE)
2014 UNSEEN Foto Festival.  .tiff (Amsterdam, NL)
2014 Kaunas Photography Gallery, Celebrating Europe (Kaunas, LT)
2013 KVS Koninklijke Vlaamse Schouwburg, Look away (Brussels, BE)
2012 BredaPhoto, Home Empathicus (Breda, NL)

Presentations
2020 postponed  Dakar Biennale, talk with Pascale Obolo, AABF (Dakar, SN)
2020 postponed  De Brakke Grond, book club, in Guy Woueté (Amsterdam, NL)
2020 postponed  SMAK, talk with Pascale Obolo (Ghent, BE)
2020 postponed  Muntpunt, book launch, ‘Being Imposed Upon’ (Brussels, BE)
2020 postponed  Café Congo, book launch, ‘Being Imposed Upon’ (Brussels, BE)
2019 De Rijksakademie, talk with V. van Velsen & M. Charles (Amsterdam, NL)
2019 De Brakke Grond, talk with H. Debeucklaere, PW. Konga & V. van Velsen (Ams, NL)
2019 SOKL Festival, talk with Anya Topolski & Orhan Agirdag (Antwerp, BE)
2018 Contour Biennale, book club with Laura Nsengiyumva (Mechelen, BE)
2018 De Brakke Grond * Valiz, at book launch Jean Leering (Amsterdam, NL)
2018 Framer Framed, book club with Laura Nsengiyumva (Amsterdam, NL)
2018 Mu.ZEE, book club with Laura Nsengiyumva (Ostend, BE)
2018 Mu.ZEE, talk with Nadia Nsayi, Ludo De Witte & KifKif (Ostend, BE)
2018 Bib Tweebronnen, talk with prof. I. Goddeeris & Kiangu Sindani (Leuven, BE)
2018 Cc Bolwerk, book presentation, talk with Bambi Ceuppens (Vilvoorde, BE)
2018 KdG, book presentation, talk with N. Nsayi, G. Mattisse & KifKif  (Antwerp, BE)
2017 KUUMBA, Book presentation, talk with Stella Nyanchama Okemwa (Brussels, BE)
2017 HISK laureates, talk with Bambi Ceuppens & Mathieu Charles (Brussels, BE)
2017 Tique Art Space, screening, talk with Roel Griffioen (Antwerp, BE)
2016 BORG biennale, talk with Pieter Vermeulen, (Antwerp, BE)
2016 Fotomuseum Winterthur, Plat(t)form 2016 (Winterthur, CH)
2014 FOMU FotoMuseum, .tiff TALKS (Antwerp, BE)
2014 Kaunas Photography Gallery, Celebrating Europe  (Kaunas, LT)

Interventions
2017 Atour, Wat doen we met A? Plan A (Antwerp, BE)
2017 Atour, International day against racism (Antwerp, BE)
2016 Antwerp Art Weekend, ‘City map of Antwerp’ (Antwerp, BE)

Published books/editions
2020 postponed  ‘Being Imposed Upon’, Onomatopee & publiekeacties (NL/BE)
2020 ‘Onze Mensen’, publiekeacties (Antwerp, BE)
2018 ‘Wanneer we spreken over kolonisatie’, 2nd edition, publiekeacties (Antwerp, BE)
2017 ‘Wanneer we spreken over kolonisatie’, 1st edition, publiekeacties (Antwerp, BE)
2016 ‘City map of Antwerp’, publiekeacties (Antwerp, BE)

Published in
2020 Une Quarantaine, artists newspaper (Antwerp, BE)
2017 The grid and the cloud, catalogue HISK 2017 (Ghent, BE)
2017 EXTRA Magazine #21, ‘Praktijk’, FoMu (Antwerp, BE)
2015 Silent Circle, Track Report 15/3 KASK (Antwerp, BE)
2015 Celebrating Europe, Kaunas Photography Gallery (Kaunas, LT)
2014 .tiff, Young Belgian Talent, FotoMuseum, Antwerp (BE)

Texts on
2019 De Witte Raaf, ‘Wanneer we spreken …’ by Johan Lagae (Brussels, BE)
2018 Knack Historia, ‘Spreken over kolonisatie’ by Bas de Roo (Brussel, BE)
2018 De wereld morgen, ‘Spreken over kolonisatie, …’ by Lode Vanoost (Brussels, BE)
2018 Knack, ‘Tijd voor verhalen …’ by Mathieu Charles, (Brussels, BE)
2017 ZAM Magazine, ‘When we speak about colonisation’ (Amsterdam, NL)
2017 Apache, ‘Kunstenaars laten …’ by Steven Vandenbussche (Antwerpen, BE)
2017 HISK catalogue, ‘Out of Africa’ by John Welchman (Ghent, BE)
2014.tiff magazine, by Bert Danckaert (Antwerp, BE)

Awards & support
2018 Kortlopende beurs, Kunstendecreet Vlaamse Overheid
2017 Praktijk verdieping, Prins Bernhard Cultuurfondsbeurs
2016 Praktijk verdieping, Prins Bernhard Cultuurfondsbeurs
2015 Doc*werk 2015 by FotoMuseum Antwerpen, deBuren …
2015 Horlait-Dapsens Foundation (Antwerp, BE)
2014 .tiff, Young Belgian Talent, FotoMuseum, Antwerp (BE)