Ansicht
(Rotterdam / Wilhelminakade 699)
Pieter Geenen (1979, Belgium) is very much drawn to a landscape’s suggestive and evocative qualities. His work tackles questions about the landscape in geo-political and geo-social contexts. Geenen explores the limits of what is visible and audible and preferably centers on what is hidden to counterbalance the process of demystification of the landscape. Ansicht is a small-scale, singlescreen video projection. It shows a view of Cabo de Gata, a national park in the South of Spain. The area is particularly inhospitable and desolate. In summer day trippers are hanging out on the many beaches. The fixed frame shows an enormous line of cars that drive each morning in single file through the mountains on their way to the beach. The images are monotonous and repetitive. Since the motions in Ansicht are very slight its characteristics are strongly photographic. The title and format of the work further refer to the postcard that is often sent from holiday destinations. Geenen focuses on tourism as a form of migration and shows how it alters the landscape.