Photos by Klaartje Lambrechts
Vernissage at MuseumCafé UFO
Waalse Kaai 47, 2000 Anvers, Belgium
21st of September starting from 8pm.
The exhibition will be open until the 20th of October.
During my attendance of the energetic training sessions of the Belgian ‘Acrogym Men 4’ team I became fascinated by their immense drive and dis- cipline of these four young men (15-22 years). Their towering ambition and inexhaustible perseverance, is almost outdated. For a year I followed their training, resulting in a series of black & white portraits, called ‘young Heroes’.
Acrogym is an acrobatic sport where no training equipment is used and which is only practiced as a team. An intensive sport, that requires an immense confidence in the co-gymnasts. This is readily apparent during the training sessions: the physical strength, the perseverance, enduring the injuries and the reliance is admirable. Their iron discipline is almost from a bygone era and in great contrast with their ‘cyber’ peers. Therefore I have chosen to portrait them as young heroes.
In contrast with the explosiveness of this team sport, the gymnasts are individually photographed in an imposing posture. The black & white portraits deliver nostalgic images where the aesthetic purity as well as the heroism of these acrogymnasts is recorded. In a similar manner details of their utile body parts, whether or not injured, or volatile emotions are captured on film. The young athletes are represented almost heroic and in a way generates illustrious images. The series is accompanied by an eponymous publication.
Special thanks to Vincent Casse, Arne Van Gelder, Tom Boon, Sebastian Boucquey and their motivated trainer Hans Lismonde.
