Photo Brut

CENTRALE presents Photo Brut (24.11.2022 > 19.03.2023), a project of exhibitions and multidisciplinary events in collaboration with Bruno Decharme and 3 Brussels-based partner organisations: Art et marges museum, Botanique, and La ” S ” Grand Atelier. As part of a Brussels event dedicated to raw photographic images bringing together several partners, CENTRALE presents more than 200 photographs from the vast collection of Bruno Decharme, founder of ABCD in Paris, who recently made a large donation of art brut (raw art) to the Pompidou Centre in Paris. These pictures, taken by self-taught artists, reveal a series of unique and intimate personal universes, staged scenes and disguises. The project questions the role of the collector, his/her power over the categorisation of “raw” creators, as well as the mystery of creation and the medium of photography. Could art brut and in this case “raw photography” still be classified as a specific category, as defined by Jean Dubuffet? What mystery does photography hold when it reveals both the visible and the invisible, reality and the perception of reality? Faithful to its programming principles, CENTRALE has also invited the Brussels artist Angel Vergara for an open and unique dialogue with Bruno Decharme. His work is inspired by the continuous research on the power of the image through performances, videos, installations, paintings and drawings. He tests the limits of art and reality, and stretches the boundaries of reality and its perception. His research on how the contemporary image shapes the interconnected public and private spheres perfectly resonates with “raw” photography. Each piece of Vergara’s work is an attempt to shatter the image; it strives to have an impact on the aesthetic, sociocultural and political level. For this project he was inspired by filmed portraits that the director Bruno Decharme dedicated to the creators of his collection.