Ludo has been living in Lithuania for the last couple of years, explains that he built the exhibition around juxtapositions between locations that may be on the opposite sides of the world, but share something in common: a visual element, a mood that bring them together across time and space. “There is a reason why an image of Užupis is put next to one from Colonia, Uruguay,” he says.
The exhibition is accompanied by a book, also entitled “A Place, A Time, A Reason?” with a more extensive collection of Ludo’s work, something he himself describes as “a voyage between illusion and reality”.
“Some of my photos may seem like a confrontation between reality and fantasy, where my measure of success is to have the viewer confronted with a pleasant scene where the explicable meets the undefined,” Ludo explains.
Although Ludo’s initial studies focused on graphics and art, he gradually gravitated to photography. Still, a feel for colour, form, and composition permeates most of his pictures. There is an element of perfectionism in expressing the moment and using an impeccable technique, yet he also employs restraint and austerity to reveal the essential of the moment.
Ludo reflects: “As a photographer, I am often confronted by several uncontrollable elements that can be translated in many different ways into a photograph. It is interesting that although a place may remain, the time and particularly the presence of light and sky are never the same. When we then add a dynamic element, questions may arise for the reason of being here at that moment in time.”
Véronique Lejeune, who curated one of Ludo’s previous exhibitions said, “Is Ludo Segers a photographer or a philosopher? Probably both, as each photo has a subtle balance beyond what is accurate.” The former Belgian Ambassador to the USA, Johan Verbeke observed, “Ludo Segers’ portraits, landscapes and photos always bring a new perspective and suggest new narratives.”
“A Time, A Place, A Reason?” will be on display, rue de Trèves 74, Brussels (corner Belliard) from 5 April to 14 May 2018. The exhibition will benefit the charity “Armen Te Kort” (Shortage of Arms), a buddy system that assists reintegration in the workforce.