Henk Wildschut, Food

Few subjects generate as much discussion as that of food. Such discussion is increasingly marked by suspicion and pessimism about how our food is produced. Unlike in the ‘good old days’, the food industry is today regarded as dishonest, unhealthy, and unethical, and contributing to the degradation of our planet. ‘Organic’ has become a magic word that is supposed to solve everything. The fact that current solutions to many food-related issues often have consumers up in arms can be blamed in part on the food industry itself. Thinking of profits, they paint a romanticised portrait of the way things are. These are the images we love to see: cows grazing in the meadow, jolly farmers on tractors bringing vegetables to market. At the same time, critics are alerting us to the flip side of intensive and industrialised food production. Given our unprecedented interest these days in how our food is produced, such conflicting reports only sow confusion. However aware we are of seductive sales techniques and marketing strategies, we still prefer, against our better judgement, to cling to that romanticised vision than to see the situation as it really is. Often, an excessively one-sided approach to the subject of food is a barrier to implementing real solutions. Food is simply too wide-ranging and complex a subject for simplistic generalisations or to be debated in black and white terms.

 

Henk Wildschut (b. 1967, Netherlands) aims to shed new light on pressing global issues with a documentary practice that is characterised by a long-term engagement with his subject matter. By maintaining a contemplative and objectively distant view of the people he meets and situations he finds himself in, his photographs obtain a balanced and monumental quality that stimulates the viewer to further reflect on the subject. As well as creating an essential counter-image to conventional representations of displaced peoples or the food industry, Wildschut’s intriguing approach continues to unearth a range of fascinating stories. His books Shelter (2010) and Ville de Calais (2017) have earned him prestigious awards such as the Dutch Doc Award 2011 and the Prix du Livre 2017 at the Rencontresd’Arles.

Place:

Bunkier Sztuki Gallery of Contemporary Art
pl. Szczepański 3a

Opening:

26.04.2019, 6 pm

Exhibition open:

27.04–16.06.2019
Tue–Sun 11.00–19.00

TIckets:

6 PLN / 12 PLN

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