Wim Wauman (Belgian, born 1976) holds a master’s degree in photography from the Royal Academy of Fine Arts in Antwerp and a post-academic qualification from the Higher Institute for Fine Arts in Ghent. Wauman’s approach to photography is influenced by a simple but profound admiration for the way things are. He focuses on a wide variety of subjects in his practice, from animals and landscapes, to still life’s and architectural construction. His work experiments with and pushes the boundaries of pictorial conventions and photographic traditions. Since 2007, his practice has become more studio oriented resulting in several projects involving staged still life compositions.
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The False Friends project reflects Wauman’s playful and experimental approach to photography. The work that comprises the project was produced in different stages, each documenting the process behind Wauman’s practice. For the first stage, Wauman drew geometric line drawings and translated these into low relief collages cut from wood veneers. He then photographed these objects under directed light to cast shadows on the surface, creating a series of images entitled Veneers. For the next stage of the process, Wauman constructed three-dimensional wooden sets in his studio, creating content for new still life photographs. He titled this series, Compositions:
“The title of the project covers multiple aspects and series of my work. The linguistic term 'false friends' is a shortened version of the expression 'false friend of a translator' and refers to pairs of words or phrases in two languages (or dialects) that look or sound similar, but differ significantly in meaning. There is often a partial overlap in meaning, which creates additional complications. The adjective 'false' also highlights intentional mistranslations and anomalies that contribute to the enigmatic and ambiguous goals of my project. Likewise, I play with language – often based upon the etymological origin of words – to title each work: writing an opaque formula for deciphering my decisions to bring certain objects together in a single image. As a family portrait. Or a group of 'friends'”.
