“Plus rien ne va de soi.
Nous étions blasés et nous ne le savions pas.
Nous nous souvenons de la valeur des moments.
De la saveur des gens.
La lumière ne va pas de soi.
L’obscurité est première.
La lumière est toujours une joie.
Ce qui est rare est chair.”
Arnaud Ghys
In the heart of winter, confined to their homes for months because of this damn you-know-what, the inhabitants of the gAallery neighborhood willingly played along.
Gathered from the darkness by the grace of an oil lamp, these faces of all ages and colors are given to you by Arnaud Ghys, who has found a new opportunity to exercise his attraction for the portrait and to deploy his inclination for the supported contrasts. These glances will accompany those who cross these streets in the coming months.l
“A camera is a key that opens many doors, that gives us a reason to be where we should not be. It’s a real way to explore society.”
Arnaud Ghys reveals the behind-the-scenes of the “Lighthouse” exhibition, from its conception to its realization. (FR)
After studying sociology, Arnaud Ghys started his professional life in the associative field, in the mad hope of contributing to change the world. The death of his father, combined with an early mid-life crisis, put this orientation into question. He then took courses at the Brussels School of Photography (now the Agnès Varda School), quickly became passionate about it and began to dream of living from photography.
About ten years ago, he launched himself as a professional photographer. The golden age of photography is largely behind us but he hangs on, alternating personal work and commissioned work compatible with his sensitivity.
He has never been so sociologist as since he became a photographer: he now has an excuse to explore the most diverse environments. One day in a CPAS, the next day at the Royal Palace. His main subject, if not the only one, is the human being, from the angle of reportage and portrait photography.
His first personal project, “Vus nus”, is a series of portraits of nude models, in which the nudity out of the frame radiates the face and gives a beautiful depth to the portraits.
His work has been exhibited throughout the French Community, notably at the Galerie de la Reine in Brussels, the Rops Museum and the Delta in Namur.
In the fall of 2020, on the basis of a dazzling crowdfunding, he published his first book “Portraits in Jazz”, the result of five years of assiduous frequentation of jazz musicians, whom he captures in suspended moments, fully inhabited by the music.
In 2021, he realized the series ” Cafés Latents ” on the Brussels cafés closed for Covid confinement. A book gathering these cafés is also in progress and will be released very soon.
