Wonderland: essay by Wim Melis

Wonderland

Photographs offer an illusion. They are the absolute ruler within their own rectangular world. They may be a lie, but it is a lie rooted in the truth. Tangible surroundings constitute the lifeblood of photography, the raw material, with which the photographer spins his dreams, that justifies the photographic image. This dramatic tension span between reality and fiction forms the heart of Wonderland.

A visual flood enters our safe living room daily via the media: the television sends a million images into our home and a thousand advertising brochures fall through the letter box. Man is flooded with images. Life presented by the media seems to be a play performed for everyone's pleasure. Private lives are also subject to continuous registration: a million snapshots are taken every day. The functional power of the image as carrier of facts and means of seduction, is undisputed in our visual economy. 'I'm in the picture, therefore I exist.'

The market of supply and demand has also been a great driving
force in culture, as the outside world often seems to have greater influence than the photographer's personal drive. Artistic motivation is largely determined by trends and movements. Photography, too, has long lost its innocence. Is there still a place for images without a preconceived purpose or for stories with an open ending? The photographers in Wonderland give a resolute affirmative answer. The market's basal demands are of minor importance, the photographers are not swayed by popular themes,
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accepted expectations or by the craze of the moment. The visual story that these photographers employ is of a raw innocence. They are not looking for an aesthetic image, but are led by what offers itself to their camera. The photo is a reflection of a seemingly coincidental glance cast on a subject. It is an exploration of the world through the camera's eye. The photos therefore harbour a meaning that is hard to catch with words. The photographers in this book and accompanying exhibition present a kind of photography that places introspection above the analysis of the subject: the photographer's inner experience is at least as important as that what he sees and registers. The images provide an opening to another world and invite an exploration to a reality under the skin. The viewer enters the wonderland of the spirit through the window of the photograph. Wonderland provides the viewer with a range of intense impressions and experiences. In this photography, that what has been portrayed disappears into the background while free associations take
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