Pharmacy Deux Milles

27 september 2015

Christiaan Bastiaans is fascinated by the extremes of the human condition. Through his interdisciplinary projects and artworks he explores the themes of displacement, mortality, survival instincts, vulnerability and protection. He travels to war zones and others areas of conflict where he takes photographs and makes voice and video recordings of people whose lives have been altered by social and political crises.

Bastiaans’s current exhibition at Looiersgracht 60 cannot be seen as something separate from the rest of his oeuvre. Here, too, Bastiaans explores the lives Bastiaans nevertheless shifts his focus from factors outside the body that strip away a person’s humanity, to the innermost of biological factors: a person’s genetics. ‘Pharmacy Deux Milles’ brings to centre stage another type of ‘hurt model’: those who find themselves estranged from society owing to genetic defects, whether mental or physical.

All this work, thought and preparation is part of an incremental process leading to Bastiaans’s ultimate aim: to rehumanise the ‘hurt models’ for the beholder. People often choose not to engage with challenging situations, with things they do not want to see. Bastiaans’s work seeks to confront those viewers who would rather turn away from that which is difficult or emotionally loaded. Taking the time to see such things encourages understanding, respect and – in Bastiaans’s work- the search for a glimmer of beauty.

The exhibition is on view until 25th October. Check for more information the website Looiersgracht 60.