Not one, but two photo exhibitions by Jimmy Kets (1979) will open at the Flemish Arts Centre ‘De Brakke Grond’ in Amsterdam. Both Brightside and Shot in Flanders revolve around the artificial environments that cluster around us.

This photographer from Antwerp photographs the backdrops of erotic fairs, theme parks and zoos using a bright flash, revealing their shallowness and the falsity of their sheen. The people in these pictures are just extras, caught up in the search for happiness and pleasure. The situation is never inhuman, however; Kets’ photos always give the viewer the scope for a relieved smile.

Jimmy Kets (Lier, 1979) is a photographer for De Standaard, as well as several other newspapers and magazines. He studied Illustration Design at the Sint Lucas Antwerp. Kets has won many awards, including the Nikon Promising Young Photographer Award 2006 and 2008. He is represented by the Antwerp gallery Stieglitz19.
Both exhibitions open on March 17 at 5.00 PM and are on display until April 17 at De Brakke Grond.