BACKSPACE 

(2021)


In collaboration with Ben Van den Berhe.


In 2021 Shlyk & Van den Berghe developed a modular system in collaboration with Atelier Oh to quickly and intuitively build, adapt with images, break down and reinvent model spaces. This hands-on methodology facilitates their research on the relationship between image and space. They capture their photographic and architectural experiments with scaled exhibition spaces and then edit and use these recordings in the final exhibition. The result is a continuous reinterpretation, which stimulates strong sensory perceptions.

The title Backspace refers to some of these elements. In the exhibition hall at the Fotomuseum in Antwerp, another space in the back is suggested. Does it exist or is it an illusion? Backrooms are often hiding places; they are cluttered rooms in the house and deep recesses on the internet. In addition, the ‘backspace’ key on a keyboard deletes previous characters. Repositioning the cursor means movement. Removing means reimagining all over again.


* Whilst preparing for this exhibition, the artists were unwilling and unable to overlook the disheartening reality of the war in Ukraine. In the backspace, they added an extra element: a confrontational disruption of the show’s imaginative fiction. They hence suggest how incomprehensible and (in)accessible the conflict is, and how the ongoing onslaught lingers in the back of one’s mind.


Thanks to Atelier OhEline VerstegenEdi Winarni and Thor Vermin.

Curated by Tamara Berghmans.

Installation view of  total photography installation, architecture models and photographic collages, new photography, photographic architecture.

installation view, Backspace, 2022 © Alexey Shlyk and Ben Van den Berghe

Installation view of  total photography installation, architecture models and photographic collages, new photography, photographic architecture. Framed photo on the wallpaper.

The Principle, 45x60 cm Backspace, 2022 © Alexey Shlyk and Van den Berghe

Installation view of  total photography installation, architecture models and photographic collages, new photography, photographic architecture.

installation view, Backspace, 2022 © Alexey Shlyk and Ben Van den Berghe

Installation view of  total photography installation, architecture models and photographic collages, new photography, photographic architecture.

installation view, Backspace, 2022 © Alexey Shlyk and Ben Van den Berghe

Installation view of  total photography installation, architecture models and photographic collages, new photography, photographic architecture. A person in a photography exhibition.

installation view, Backspace, 2022 © Alexey Shlyk and Ben Van den Berghe

Installation view of  total photography installation, architecture models and photographic collages, new photography, photographic architecture.

installation view, Backspace, 2022 © Alexey Shlyk and Ben Van den Berghe

Installation view of  total photography installation, architecture models and photographic collages, new photography, photographic architecture.

installation view, Backspace, 2022 © Alexey Shlyk and Ben Van den Berghe

Installation view of  total photography installation, architecture models and photographic collages, new photography, photographic architecture. Framed photo on the wallpaper.

installation view, Backspace, 2022 © Alexey Shlyk and Van den Berghe

Installation view of  total photography installation, architecture models and photographic collages, new photography, photographic architecture. Framed photo on the wallpaper.

Model Maker, 100x140cm, Backspace, 2022 © Alexey Shlyk and Van den Berghe

Installation view of  total photography installation, architecture models and photographic collages, new photography, photographic architecture.

installation view, Backspace, 2022 © Alexey Shlyk and Van den Berghe

Installation view of  total photography installation, architecture models and photographic collages, new photography, photographic architecture. Framed photo on the wallpaper.

Plastic Number (revisited), 45x60cm,Backspace, 2022 © Alexey Shlyk and Van den Berghe

Installation view of  total photography installation, architecture models and photographic collages, new photography, photographic architecture.

installation view, Backspace, 2022 © Alexey Shlyk and Van den Berghe

Installation view of  total photography installation, architecture models and photographic collages, new photography, photographic architecture. Framed photo on the wallpaper.

installation view, Backspace, 2022 © Alexey Shlyk and Van den Berghe

Installation view of  total photography installation, architecture models and photographic collages, new photography, photographic architecture. Framed photo on the wallpaper.

Private Eden (revisited) 45x60cm, Backspace, 2022 © Alexey Shlyk and Van den Berghe

Installation view of  total photography installation, architecture models and photographic collages, new photography, photographic architecture. Framed photo on the wallpaper.

San Christobal (revisited) 45x60cm, Backspace, 2022 © Alexey Shlyk and Van den Berghe

Installation view of  total photography installation, architecture models and photographic collages, new photography, photographic architecture. The library in the context of installation.

installation view, Backspace, 2022 © Alexey Shlyk and Ben Van den Berghe

Installation view of  total photography installation, architecture models and photographic collages, new photography, photographic architecture. The library in the context of installation.

installation view, Backspace, 2022 © Alexey Shlyk and Ben Van den Berghe

Installation view of  total photography installation, architecture models and photographic collages, new photography, photographic architecture. The library as a part of installation.

installation view, Backspace, 2022 © Alexey Shlyk and Ben Van den Berghe

Installation view of  total photography installation, architecture models and photographic collages, new photography, photographic architecture. Exhibition text.

installation view, Backspace, 2022 © Alexey Shlyk and Ben Van den Berghe

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