“Timor mortis conturbat me”
“Fear of death disturbs me.”

Is there a way we can avoid our fear of death, the fear of not being, of the true unknown? Is it an eternal suffering that we don’t want to be confronted with, simply to put aside the agony of an uncertain future? It is a theme that has been on my mind for some time. While displaying fear of an uncertain sinister future, I’ve always felt the urge to use the photographic medium to show my view on this universal subject. Pain and sorrow have been and will be around us, always, everywhere. The feeling of despair is inevitable in a human life. It gives us vitality. This realisation is both a curse and a blessing. On the one hand, we live life knowing all too well this is not perpetual. We are very much aware of the fact that we are just a temporary grain in the hourglass of life. On the other hand, we tend to avoid the subject, being aware that, while we are absolutely endless, we want to be anything but that. Being free of death is an ideal some of us tend to strive towards, despite the fact that, deep down, maybe it is not what we desire.

For this project, I wanted to lift the subject to the photographic realm, starting from the work of Belgian artist George Minne, reembodying it in a contemporary way, through Colin H. Van Eeckhout, giving life to the themes both artists have in common, such as Symbolism in death and grief.

George Minne was a Belgian sculptor and draftsman born in Ghent in 1866. He is known for his figurative work which often illustrates emotional and spiritual themes. Minne was a member of the Symbolist movement, an artistic movement that emerged in the late 19th century, emphasizing the use of metaphor and symbolism in art.
Minne was greatly influenced by his Catholic faith and he often depicted Christian themes in his work. His sculptures and drawings were also known for their expressiveness and the way they conveyed a sense of spiritual transcendence. Much like a poet, Minne was an artist who was able to put together a body of magnificent verses without a clear motive or study. His sensitivity to Zeitgeist, his sense of a deeply human tragedy, gave an answer to the social Realism of the 19th century.

Colin H. Van Eeckhout is a Belgian musician and artist. He is the lead vocalist of the post-metal band Amenra, known for their intense performances and emotional, introspective lyrics. These often explore life’s pain, suffering and transcendence. Through his lyrics and prose, starting from personal experiences, Colin finds different ways to express his feelings in a truthful way. In the light of the 21st century, he offers his followers a base for self-reflection: the moment when you are on your knees and you ask questions that don’t have answers.

Both Minne and Colin are artists who use their respective mediums to explore deeply emotional themes and create works that communicate a sense of spiritual transcendence. Both artists have gone about their controverse, looking for a way to express their melancholic feelings and their inclination towards the mystique. By confronting us to a deeply sorrowful world, both Minne and Colin find a balance between internalization and sensuality, between mortality and symbolism.

The choice for black and white photography came instinctively, as colour wasn’t part of the message I wanted to bring. Adding nudity was a way to approach Minne’s work more closely. By stripping down Colin, we emphasized the human suffering that Minne displayed in his work.
When researching Minne, I discovered his sketches, offering a vast amount of inspiration and freedom. His studies of the human body and its movement allowed me to take some distance from his better known sculptural work. They opened the possibility to ask for Colin to interpret them.
The photograph of Colin with the thorns, the phoetal position of Colin embracing the doe, his gestures and expressions of mourn, loss and sorrow, they all depict the same feelings we have when we look at Minne’s work.
In one photograph only, Colin stares back at you. It’s a manifest of the realisation that all the feelings that we’ve shown here through photography are universal and very personal. The single gaze at the viewer is the confirmation that no one escapes darkness.
Adding Colin’s prose to the images, ties the project together. His choice of words and their deep universal meaning form the profound connection between us three.

More than ever we find ourselves confronted to a world of inner and outer suffering. War, poverty, an uncertain future, are elements that have contributed to our state of mind. We’ve never been stronger, yet so vulnerable. We have never been so aware of the death and suffering around us, as we have today. And it is in particular this fear of death that disturbs me.

Tim Tronckoe