Carl De Keyzer

Carl de Keyzer started his career as a freelance photographer in 1982 while supporting himself as a photography instructor at the Royal Academy of Fine Arts in Ghent, Belgium. At the same time, his interest in the work of other photographers led him to co-found and co-direct the XYZ-Photography Gallery. A Magnum nominee in 1990, he became a full member in 1994.
De Keyzer constructs book and exhibition projects through an accumulative approach, using large and medium formats. Examples are Homo Sovieticus 1989 about the collapse of the Soviet Union, ZONA 2003 (visiting 50 prison camps in Siberia,) Trinity 2007 (a conceptual book about the trinity of power), DPR Korea (2017). His seminal project, God, Inc. I and II captured religious life on the margins of American society in 1992 and 2020.

Systems of power and their visual impact on society are the main themes of his work. Subjects related to colonialism, communism, religion… are documented in their own propagandistic style. Esthetics and ‘house styles’ of the systems in question are often adopted to obtain a layered effect.

Born in Belgium (Kortrijk) on 27/12/1958
Photography teacher at the Royal Academy of Fine Arts in Ghent / Belgium between 1982-1989.
Co-founder and co-director of the photo-gallery “XYZ -Photography” (1982-1989).
Free-lance photographer since 1982.
Teacher at the Higher Institute of Arts in Antwerp -Belgium in 1995
Nominee of the MAGNUM photo agency in 1990.
Member of the MAGNUM photo agency in 1994.
Teacher at L’école des Arts Décoratifs in Paris -France 2002
Vice-president of MAGNUM in 2003 and 2004
Teacher at the Royal Academy of Fine Arts in Ghent – KASK / Belgium 2009-2018
Member of the Royal Academy for Arts and Sciences – Brussels 2012