Bieke Depoorter

About Bieke Depoorter

Bieke Depoorter (BE, 1986) currently lives and works in Ghent, Belgium. She completed her photography education in 2009, graduating from the Royal Academy of Fine Arts in Ghent. She joined the Magnum photo agency in 2012, three years after finishing her studies. After a selection process that concluded in 2016, she became a lifetime member of the agency, receiving more than 2/3 of the votes.

In addition to being accepted into the Magnum agency, she has received numerous awards throughout her career. In 2009, she received two awards for her project "Ou Menya": the Magnum Expression Award and a nomination for the Photo Academy Award from the Hague Museum of Photography (Netherlands). More recently, she distinguished herself by receiving the Henri Hannen Prize and the Larry Sultan Photography Prize in 2017 and 2018, respectively.

Photographic approach of Bieke Depoorter

As a documentary photographer, each of her projects takes place in a different country where the spoken language is not her own. Through relatively brief encounters, she manages to establish a bond of trust between herself and her future photographic subjects. Once this connection is established, she immerses herself in their lives, closely observing their daily routines, often lodging with the people she meets. This intimacy allows her to capture unique moments when the photographed individuals eventually forget the artist's presence.

Exhibitions

Bieke Depoorter participates in numerous exhibitions, both solo and as part of the collective of artists comprising the Magnum agency. Most of her solo exhibitions take place in Europe: FOMU (Antwerp, Belgium), Kunsthal Rotterdam (Netherlands), NRW-Forum (Düsseldorf, Germany), Museum of Photography (The Hague, Netherlands). She is part of the exhibition "Close Enough," which brings together 12 female photographers from the Magnum agency. This exhibition showcases projects aimed at establishing connections with the photographed individuals. It was presented at the International Center of Photography (New York, USA) and at Hangar (Brussels) in 2023.

Art Book Publications by Bieke Depoorter

Many of her photographic projects are documented in art books. Among these: "Ou Menya" (Lanoo Publishers, 2012), "I am About to Call it a Day" (Editions Patrick Frey and Hannibal), "As It May Be" (Xavier Barral Editions / Hannibal / Aperture, 2017), and "A." (Japanese Binding with perforations on the fold, 2021). The book "As It May Be" is available on our e-shop.

The artist also produces reports and documentaries. These sometimes take place within larger-scale projects (such as "Agata" in 2017). She collaborates with various associations like Médecins Sans Frontières for the production of social documentaries. Additionally, she leads and organizes photography workshops, notably within the framework of "Of Soul and Joy" (2012).