YVES DE BRABANDER - Shadows of Doubt

SHADOWS OF DOUBT

ANTWERP, 2020-ongoing

Inkjet & scratched laserprint on paper.
move over censorship

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In his continuous exploration of luminosity, De Brabander skillfully captures fleeting moments, infusing them with soft tones that intertwine seamlessly with layers of scratched and scanned laser prints.

Here, he focusses on the exploration of censorship in art history. Through his lens, De Brabander delves into the profound impact of cultural plundering our artistic heritage. Notably, the genitals in his artworks have been manually scratched away to comply with current online regulations, mimicking the iconoclasm seen in historical periods of censorship. His art becomes a vessel for reflection, prompting us to consider the sociological impact of censoring people’s lives and creativity, each layer telling a muted story of loss of freedom and artistic expression.

The shadows cast by these societal events intertwine with the mastery of light, creating a visual narrative that not only pays homage to the past but also sheds light on the ongoing challenges of restitution and the quest for justice in the world.

De Brabander's work invites us to confront the shadows of doubt surrounding our origin, turning each image into a poignant chapter in the larger story of cultural norms and regulations.

In a contemporary context, his exploration extends beyond history to address the online banning of artistic male nudity in art. The interplay of light and shadow in his compositions becomes a metaphorical battleground, where the resilience of banned artistic expression struggles against the prevailing norms. Each work captured is a testament to the ongoing quest for freedom and expression, transforming every image into a powerful narrative that speaks of both loss and hope in the face of artistic censorship, freedom of expression and freedom of speech. Every shadow tells a tale of courage and defiance.