About me
Barbara Iweins is a Belgian photographer who started her artistic career in Amsterdam. A collector since a tender age, Barbara classifies, gathers and archives her photographic subjects according to strict criteria. She mostly draws inspiration from literature (Edouard Levé, Siri Husvedt, Zweig, Kundera…) and contemporary art (Christian Boltanski, Jan Saudek, Francis Bacon).
Fascinated by the vulnerability of humans and beauty in imperfection, she successively pushes the boundaries on what is deemed intimate. In her series “Au coin de ma rue”, she entered bit by bit into the private life of strangers. In her project 7AM/7PM, she invited these same strangers to sleep at her house, to capture the moment a person opens his eyes for the first time (“the only moment of the day a person doesn’t have any shield. The only moment where the world hasn’t hurt us yet.”). Her series “Bath” captures priceless moments of solitude and quietude (or, as she would put it: “water silences one’s inner racket of thoughts”).
Since her return to Brussels in 2016, Barbara has retreated into her own world where she lives like a hermit, working on her newest project KATALOG. For KATALOG, Barbara took 12,795 photos of all 12,795 objects she owns to find an aesthetic emotion in the assembly of elements that, at first sight, may seem out of place or even tasteless. Katalog is a radical confrontation with her possessions. It’s also the first time she used her private life as a case study.
Barbara graduated from the communication and journalism school, IHECS in Brussels (BE). She worked for several years in film distribution and production. In 2009 she started photography and has since been exhibited as a solo artist at Street Lab Amsterdam (NL, 2010), Atelier Relief Brussels (BE, 2016), Parlement Francophone Bruxellois (BE, 2018), Les Rencontres Internationales de la photographie d'Arles (FR, 2022) and at L'Appartement, Images Vevey 2023.
The book “Katalog” was published by Delpire&co in June 2022. Barbara’s work has been featured in Le Monde, Liberation, CNN, The Guardian, BBC and many more.
News
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Exhibition “Katalog, from 18.04.25 until 18.11.25 (Belgium).
Exhibition “Habitat", from 15.03.25 until 06.04.25 (Montreal).
Press- TV interview BX1 about my practice, "I.els font Bruxelles"
Exhibition“Attitude Towards Objects”, from 22 until 30 Juin.(Poland)
Live Magazine, Bozar, the18 and 19 juin (Bruxelles)
Live Magazine au Carré des Docks, the 12 of april (France) ,
Exhibition “Encore et Encore” at la Maison des Arts, from 23.02 until 05.05 (Bruxelles).
Live Magazine at Folies Bergères, 16 Janvier (Paris).
Live Magazine at Musée Histoire de l’Europe, 13 Janviers (Paris).
Exhibition “Le Parti Pris des Choses”, at le CRP (France) 27.01.2024 until 19.05.2024
Exhibition at Daeugu Photo Biennale (Korea) from 21/09 until 9/11/2023
Press - Article about Katalog in Society Magazine, France
Press - Article about Katalog in Nieuwsblad, Belgium
Radio Interview about Katalog by CBC, USA
Radio Interview about Katalog in Women's hour, BBC4
Press - Article about Katalog in Marie Claire Italia
Press - Article about Katalog in The Guardian
Exhibition at Cortona on the Move from 13/07 until 1/10/23 – Cortona, Italy
Member of the Jury, Dior Photography and Visual Award for Young Talents 2023
Nomination - Katalog is shortlisted at the prix du livre de Arles 2023
Publication - Katalog is published by les Editions Mucho Love (postcards)
Nomination - Katalog is nominated for the Prix Bob Calle 2023
Press - Article about Katalog in Blind Magazine
Press - Article about Katalog in Le Courrier
Press - TV interview about Katalog by RTS
Press - Article about Katalog in Bilan.ch
Press - Article about Katalog in Espaces Contemporains
Press - Article about Katalog in 24H
Solo Exhibition - from 08/03 until 04/06 in l’Appartement of Images Vevey
Author for the Love Magazine, la nuit des Idées at Institut Français, Beyrouth
Press - Article about Katalog/Mirror of Self in Le Soir
Radio interview about Katalog/Mirror of Self in Le Brunch, BXL
Press - Article about Katalog/Mirror of Self in La Libre Belgique
Exhibition “Mirror of Self” – from 26/01 until 25/03 in le Hangar, Brussels
Author for the Live Magazine de la transition écologique at Centre Pompidou
Exhibition “Le Parti pris des choses” – Centre Photographique Rouen Normandie
Exhibition “Memory matter” – from 06/11 until 12/02 in Museum Villa Rot
Press - Article about Katalog in Madame Figaro
TV Interview by WGN TV, USA
Press - Article about Katalog in Telerama
Exhibition “Katalog” at Paris Design Week, at delpire&co (Paris)
Press - Article about Katalog in RTBF
Press - Article about Katalog in Les Inrocks
Press - Article about Katalog in Konbini
Press - Article about Katalog in Le Numero
Press - Article about Katalog in L'Œil de la photographie
Press - Article about Katalog in Photo Trend
Press - Article about Katalog in Il Foglio
Radio Interview by Sean Moncrieff on Newstalk
Press - Article about Katalog in Le Point
Press - Article about Katalog in Le Soir
Press - Article about Katalog in Nouvel Obs
Press - Article about Katalog in Le Monde part I and part II
Press - Article about Katalog in Libération
Press - Article about Katalog in CNN
Solo Exhibition - aux Rencontres de la Photographie de Arles
Book launch Katalog at Peinture Fraiche, Brussels
Book « Katalog » published by delpire&co
Press - Article about Katalog in Women Magazine
Podcast « Instagram a tt’il tué le passé » with Judith Duportail, Binge Audio
Press - Article about Katalog in Albert (Albert Einstein Institute), Germany
Interview for La Boite Noire, Canal +
Masterclass with L’école W, Paris
“Mais l’essentiel est bien cette investigation systématique, d’où ressort une certaine forme d’angoisse : c’est cela qui me touche le plus. La scénographie intime de l’exposition recrée un espace domestique, une forme d’enfermement dans le casanier.”
“En collectionneuse «obsessionnelle» et «fétichiste», l’artiste belge Barbara Iweins a fait l’inventaire de tous les objets de sa sphère privée créant une accumulation qui laisse le visiteur arlésien pantois et admiratif.”
“Cela a probablement un lien avec une angoisse très ancienne : celle de devenir un jour SDF. Inconsciemment, c’est comme si cette surabondance d’objets jouait un rôle de bouclier. Je me sens moins démunie entourée de toutes ces choses.”
Octobre 7, 2022
July 12, 2022
July 16, 2022
June 22, 2020
August 23, 2016
August 18, 2016
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