Breath

“The book is absolutely wonderful. I have re-read your poetry several times and it is very thought-provoking. You have managed to capture some very complex ideas in a beautiful economy of words and I love the clear, ‘pared-down quality of your work. It works so well in dialogue with the sculpture, which I think is stunning. It is incredibly ‘human’ but at the same time conveys things that are timeless. Really beautiful, they are the kind of images which stay in your mind long after you’ve seen them. What a talented artist (and poet)!!” – Dr. Claire Nicholson. English Literature, University of Cambridge Katrin Dekoninck is an all-round artist, showing mankind in raw honesty and lonely separation. Though the focus of this book is on her life-sized sculptures in clay, she is also skilled in drawing, painting and traditional (non-computer generated) animation. Her technical strength makes her images breathe. Serenely and with simplicity, she shapes her universe of searching people. Themes such as ‘identity’ and ‘aging’ link her oeuvre to the poetry of Steven Van Der Heyden. With words, he tries to find a way to make connections, to start a dialogue. His poems were written in interaction with Katrin’s sculptures. Together they make an organic unity of words and images. A fascinating encounter artfully captured through the lens of photographer Stef De Belder. Text in English and Dutch.