Artists today use the medium photography freely as a means of expression. Photographic works of art are of considerable importance in the realization of art. When photography originated in 1839 the public started to consider painting an art that could not possibly depict reality in the same way as photography does. However, the qualities of photography were questioned very soon and various objections were raised. Not until the 1980s photography was universally recognized as an authentic form of artistic expression, though questions continue to be asked about the status and identity of the medium. Once again, photography stirs a lot of public attention. The amount of photo graphic works of art is increasing to such an extent that it has become difficult to distinguish clear tendencies. In particular it has become difficult to draw a line between the medium as a means of artistic expression and ordinary snapshots, which causes a lot of debate. The controversy surrounding this theme, the speed with which the media change and the possibility to produce digital pictures, all of these have changed the way art is looked upon. For the current exhibition Gallery Fortlaan 17 has chosen four artists who use photography and the new media to express their ideas. Dirk Braeckman, Ria Pacquée and Thomas Ruff use photography exclusively to this purpose, Danny Devos employs it as part of a much broader artistic activity. The four of them represent individual artists with a particular profile within contemporary art and they were chosen for the diverse and interesting ideas they put forward. It is no coincidence that three of them are Belgians. In recent years Braeckman, Devos and Pacquée have acquired some fame for their aesthetic approach and the exploring of the technical possibilities of the medium. The four artists are not directly linked, though all of them more or less analvse the human existence as an aesthetic phenomenon. Throughout the evolution of their work they open new doors to reflect upon the complexity of human existence and its relation to a predetermined time and space.

Braeckman and Pacquée have installed recent works, Ruff shows some striking pictures from the series «Portraits» and «Houses», Devos presents digital photographs which can be viewed in the gallery or at home through Internet.

DANNY DEVOS

º1959, Antwerpen

Danny Devos analyses his life and body as aesthetic phenomena. Initially he challenges the public with shocking performances, which evolve into a wider range of artistic activities. Obsessed with the phenomenon of mass murderers, he systematically starts to collect information about the phenomenon itself and its social context. He inquires into possible similarities between the concept of art and murder scenarios. Furthermore, he finds a parallel between people's over-simplified judgements about the acts of murderers and the thoughtless reactions in terms of 'good' or 'bad' of the public when confronted with art. The exhibitions he makes are rooted in his investigations. «Perpetrator of Death» is a visual inquiry into all murders which have been committed in Belgium since his year of birth. Internet leads the public at home or the visitor of the gallery around in this ever-evolving project.

The growth of the Internet cannot be stopped anymore. The number of sites about art and culture increases every day. From January 30th, 1998 onwards the address to surf to is http: //www.fortlaan17.com. Through the World Wide Web the gallery wants to make use of the full potential of the Web to go interactive. Choose your language (English, French, Dutch) on the website, and gather worldwide information about Gallery Fortlaan 17, artists, exhibitions and activities. You can consult a database to get more information about works of art, or subscribe to our free e-mail newsletter. Our website also offers interesting links to other sites. As artists today start to use the interactive medium themselves, you will also be able to walk through a virtual exhibition. The artist Danny Devos has designed an Internet-project «Perpetrators of Death», which can be visited through our site.

The site http://www.fortlaan17.com will start to play a major part in the communication with and by Gallery Fortlaan 17.