BENNY DE GROVE

Benny De Grove was born in Ghent, Belgium in 1957.  At the flourishing age of 12 Benny got his first camera as a gift from his aunt which awoke his passion for photography, he was instantly taken by the the options that photography gave him to express himself . His experimenting never ceased since then. He enrolled at Academy of Fine Arts in Ghent, and graduated in 1983. He has been working as a professional photographer since 1986 both on personal projects and as a commercial photographer and has accomplished many projects in documentary & staged studio photography such as editorial photography for magazines, covers for literary publications, photography for promotional materials for theatre, portraiture, advertisements... etc.  

 

Benny De Grove is influenced by classical painters such as Rembrandt, Van Eyck and Caravaggio. The later has particularly influenced his taste in lighting. Surrealists such as René Magritte and the symbolic/expressionist works of James Ensor (both lived and worked in Benny’s home country) and filmmakers such as Lynch, Kurosawa & Kubrick as have also been role models in shaping his taste.

 

Benny uses portraits to create mythical atmospheres, and through these images he raises questions regarding society. The goal of his works are to create a dialogue between him, his work and the spectator. He strives to make this world a better place by underlining the importance of care of nature and spiritual life.