Joost Vandebrugs photographic works are a testament to his underlying interest in challenging the boundaries of traditional photography, while reminiscent of the Assemblage and Xerox art movements. Through his intricately detailed and poetically tactile compositions, Vandebrug captures the essence of moments reshaped by recollection and memory. Historically, assemblage has been associated with a static logic of time, where diverse fragments are juxtaposed to become part of the same entity. In contrast, Vandebrug's compositions are not locked in such a sense of immediacy. Instead, they involve a transforming movement between the past, present, and future, creating a sense of presence that is constantly deferred. This makes it possible to perceive the works as diagrams of breakdowns, where several states overlap and emerge from each other. Vandebrug creates works that employ time in a conceptual, physical and highly sensitive manner. His practice goes beyond the personal and touches upon a universal and contemplative state.
His recent series include "The Pillow Book", which explores the connections between past and present experiences, and "Exhilarating", a pictorial narrative about light and positivity. The artist employs various printing techniques such as pigment transfers and silver-gelatin prints on hand-made Washi, copper plates, and traditional Barite paper. He chooses to work with historical photographic techniques, which are susceptible and delicate and often aligns them with his subject matter. He also deviates from the photographic convention of producing and preserving flawless prints.
Joost Vandebrug is a multidisciplinary artist who studied at the Gerrit Rietveld Academy in Amsterdam.
His practice includes photography, video, installation, and filmmaking. His highly acclaimed documentary "Bruce Lee, King of the Tunnels" (2018) follows a community living under the streets of Bucharest which has won huge international recognition and has been screened in over 50 film festivals around the world.