Abstract of the accomplished photographic work
#004494, #ffd617.
EC Blue, EC Yellow.
Two colours as omnipresent identifying features of a political union of 27 countries.
Two colours as visual representatives of a political vision that is still struggling for words.
The European quarter in Belgium’s capital Brussels functions as a green screen of the politically imaginary. Over a period of two and a half years, this photographic work documents the transformation of political narratives into the haptic, the spatial and thus the visual. Merchandise, youth events and visitor centres – often overlooked means of political communication – become essential components in the development of an aesthetic of European politics.
In a mixture of documentary and staged images, »A circle of 12 gold stars on a blue background« moves along the underlying construction of what finds its way into our collective visual memory as an image of European politics, shaped by the coverage of international media.
Description of the project you intend to pursue through the Prize
This work examines the tension between everyday banality and political power through architectural space. Captured within EU institutions in Brussels, the images document traces left behind in meeting rooms — discarded papers, half-empty bottles, and rearranged chairs — only moments after high-stakes negotiations.
Set against the rigid frameworks of institutional architecture, these remnants reveal the intersection of physical structures and political decision-making. Shot digitally with artificial lighting, the series heightens the theatricality of politics, emphasising its constructed nature.
Envisioned as a book, the project mirrors the protocols shaped in these spaces, shifting focus from politicians to the material traces of governance. It questions how spaces both shape and reflect authority.