︎

Anton Kusters


 Anton Kusters 

About



Anton Kusters (Belgium, 1974) focuses on the human condition, exploring transmission between generations, post-witnessing and the loss of experience of time and place.

He draws upon specific events, biographies and objects, connecting them to larger histories and data patterns.

The medium is determined by research and process, and the works ultimately present themselves as remnants of fragmented narratives.
 
 
 
Master of Political Science, University of Louvain (KU Leuven, 1996)


Exhibitions

2021
“Blue Skies”, Arles (FR) - Les Rencontres d’Arles
“1078 Blue Skies, 4432 Days”, Genk (BE) - C-Mine cultuurcentrum

2020
“The Blue Skies Project”, Landskrona (SW)
“The Blue Skies Project”, The Photographers’ Gallery, London (UK)

2019
“The Blue Skies Project”, Fitzrovia Chapel London (UK) – ass. Photo London
“The Blue Skies Project”, Washington DC (US) – US Holocaust Memorial Museum

2017
“Mono No Aware & Yakuza”, Hasselt (BE) – Cultuurcentrum Hasselt

2016
“Mono No Aware”, Antwerp (BE) – Ingrid Deuss Gallery

2014
“Yakuza”, Aalst (BE) – Cultuurcentrum DeWerf
“Yakuza”, Genève (CH) – Galerie Focale
“Yakuza”, Barcelona (ES) – TagoMago Gallery
“Yakuza”, Hong Kong (HK) – Asia One / AOV Gallery

2013
“Yakuza”, Liège (BE) – Monos Gallery
“Yakuza”, Rome (IT) – Officine Fotografiche
“Yakuza”, Genk (BE) – C-Mine cultuurcentrum


Group exhibitions

2023
“New Works – Art Collection Deutsche Börse”, Deutsche Börse Foundation, Frankfurt (DE)
“Re/lier”, Marchin & Modave (BE) – XI Biennale de Condroz

2022
“Performa”, Genk (BE) – C-mine Cultural Centre

2021
“Nouvelles Vagues”, Marchin, Modave & Clavier (BE) – X Biennale de Condroz
“Re-Collect”, Antwerp (BE) – FoMu FotoMuseum

2019
“The Waiting Room”, Genk (BE) – C-mine cultuurcentrum
“Forever//Now”, Derby (UK) – FORMAT19
“photo+sphere”, Asheville (US) – Elizabeth Holden Gallery

2018
“Post Conflict – Reframing A Dialogue”, Getxo/Bilbao (ES) – Getxo Photo
“The Artist Studio”, Hasselt (BE) – Z33 Huis voor Actuele Kunst

2014
“Les Boutographies”, Montpellier (FR) – Pavillon Populaire

2013
“Head On”, Sydney (AUS) – The Muse, TAFE Sydney Institute

2008
“Viaggi Sentimentali”, Milan Photo Festival VIII – Galleria Spazio Farini 6


Installations

2019
“The Blue Skies Project” (repr.), Washington DC (US) – US Holocaust Memorial Museum


Collections

Victoria & Albert Museum permanent collection, London
Deutsche Börse Photography Foundation collection, Frankfurt
International Center for Photography collection, New York
FoMu Foto Museum collection, Antwerp
Fundación Banco Sabadell, Barcelona
Collection Vanmoerkerke, Ostend


Grants, awards

2022
    Kranszna-Krausz Book Awards, longlist

2020
Deutsche Börse Photography Foundation Prize, finalist

2019
Prix Pictet, nomination
Individual Arts Grant, Government of Flanders

2018-
VONK Ateliers (BE), resident

2014
STROOM grant, Province of Limburg (BE)


Essays

“The Abyss Beneath Us: Anton Kusters’ The Blue Skies Project”, Ulrich Baer (NYU)
“Blue Skies: A Conservation View”, Jane E. Klinger (USHMM) & Joan M. Walker (NGA)
“The Eternal Present and the Contested Past”, Fred Ritchin (ICP Museum)
“Anton Kusters: The Blue Skies Project”, Martin Barnes (V&A Museum)


Books, catalogues

2021
“1078 Blue Skies / 4432 Days”, Anton Kusters, Kehrer Verlag
“Arles 2021, Les Rencontres de la Photographie”, Actes Sud, France

2020
“Deutsche Börse Photography Foundation Prize 2020”, The Photographers’ Gallery, London
“1078 Blue Skies / 4432 Days”, Anton Kusters – collectors' edition
“The Bioarchaeology of Disaster”, Danielle S. Kurin, University of California

2018
“Images in Conflict”, Fred Ritchin, Jonas Verlag

2016
“Odo Yakuza Tokyo” third edition, Anton Kusters, Zabrozas*

2014
“Mono No Aware”, Anton Kusters, Zabrozas*

2011
“Odo Yakuza Tokyo” second edition, Anton Kusters, Zabrozas*
“Odo Yakuza Tokyo”, Anton Kusters, Zabrozas*

2010
“893 Magazine”, Anton Kusters – issue #1


Articles, reviews, references

2022
“In Order to Know, We Must Imagine for Ourselves: How Artworks by Penny Siopis and Anton Kusters Re-present Traumatic Histories for Participatory, Open-Ended Re-imaginings”, Dale Washkansky, University of Cape Town, South Africa
“Everything was Beautiful and Nothing Hurt”, Pauline Vermare in “Vortex” by Kikuji Kawada
“Op stap met tien Vlaamse kunstenaars”, Danny Ilegems, De Morgen
“Slow Burning Blue Skies”, Colin Pantall, Blind Magazine

2021
“Die neuen Relativierer”, Maxim Biller, Die Zeit
“Avec ‘Blue Skies’, le photographe Anton Kusters documente l'Holocauste et la fragilité du souvenir”, Jean-Sébastien Stehli, Madame Le Figaro
“Pompidou”, Nicky Aerts, vrt Radio Klara
“Inventaire Macabre”, M Le magazine du Monde, nº 514
“Photographie: les Rencontres d’Arles à la croisée des chemins”, Jean-Marie Wynants, Le Soir
“Les ciels au-dessus de 1 078 camps de concentration nazis photographiés par Anton Kusters”, Donnia Ghezlane-Lala , Konbini Arts
“Luchten als getuigen van de Gruwel”,  Rik van Puymbroeck, De Tijd
“Techniek staat voor mij ten dienste van het Narratief”, Rudi Smeets, De Standaard
“Arles 2021: my week at Arles”, Ghislain Pascal, L’Oeil de la Photographie
“Expo ‘Blue Skies’ van Anton Kusters richt blik op blauwe hemel boven 1078 voormalige concentratiekampen”, Mathijs Bijnens, VRT NWS
“Les obsessions d’Anton Kusters”, Baudouin Eschapasse, Le Point

2020
“Anton Kusters reframes memory in a work that maps the atrocities of the Holocaust”, Cat Lachowskyj, BJP British Journal of Photography
“Meine Fotos sind Spiegel für Alle”, Carola Padtberg, Der Spiegel
“Deutsche Börse Foundation Prize 2020”, GUP Guide to Unique Photography
“Smukke, smukke, blå, blå himmel. Hvad er det for et helvede, du har været loft over?”, Politiken dk

2019
“Kunst für eine Bessere Welt”, Claudia Bodin, Art Magazin DE
“You Cannot See Colors in Moonlight”, Sarah Jasmon, A Thousand Word Photos

2018
“Anton Kusters’ The Blue Skies Project”, 1000 Words magazine
“1.078”, Beeldverhaal De Standaard dS Weekblad
“Inside the World of the Yakuza”, Malestrom
“Beste Anton Kusters”, Gaea Schoeters, Rekto/Verso magazine
“Carrying the Weight of Genocide Through Photography”, Rachel Gould, Culturetrip
“Reimagining History and Trauma”, Vantage

2017
“Settembre 2017. Alderney (Kanalinsel)”, Arianna Rinaldo, Internazionale
“Pompidou”, Kurt van Eeghem, vrt Radio Klara

2016
“Inside Job”, Pallet magazine
“Yakuza”, Stern Crime
“Gangs of Tokyo”, Sonja Blaschke, Wunderwelt Wissen

2015
“Anton Kusters”, Take Magazine
“Inside the Syndicate”, The Economist
“Mother look I’m almost…”, Sofie Crabbé, hART magazine
“Mono No Aware”, De Standaard dS Weekblad

2014
“Japan’s Godfathers”, Leica M Magazine, Hamburg, Germany
“Tokyo”, China National Travel
“Au plus près des yakuzas”, Marie-Adèle Copin, La Côte
“Son Criminales que quieren contribuir en so sociedad”, Ima Sanchís, La Vanguardia
“Inside the Family”, Marcus Webb, Delayed Gratification
“On the Yakuza Trail”, The New York Times
“De Wereld in Beeld”, Jan Desloover, De Standaard dS Weekblad

2013
“Fotograaf Anton Kusters bij de Japanse Maffia”, Beeld Express
“Constant op Eieren Lopen”, Het Belang van Limburg
“Impero Yakuza”, Pio D’Emilia, l’Espresso
“893”, Zuiderlucht

2012
“Yakuza – wszystkie odcienie szarości”, Foto Magazine Poland
“Odo Yakuza Tokyo”, Photo Magazine Romania
“Por Dentro Da Yakuza”, Revista da Cultura

2011
“Inside the Yakuza”, BBC Radio 4 - The Today Show
“Kirsebærmafiaen”, Per Asbjørn Risnes jr., Dagens Næringsliv
“Twee Jaar bij de Yakuza”, De Standaard dS Weekblad
“780 Días con la obscura Yakuza”, Toni García, El Pais
“YAKUZA”, Anja Herold, GEO Epoche
“Anton Kusters: Yakuza”, Information dk
“Eastern Menace”, The Sunday Times, Spectrum
“True Glimpses of the Underworld”, Manami Okazaki, The Japan Times


Download