° 1966

Born in Lier (BE), lives in Brussels (BE), works in Brussels (BE).

Anne Daems (°1966) studies photography at the Saint-Lukas Institute in Brussels, followed by a course at the Rijksacademie in Amsterdam. The hidden layers in our daily lives are the focus of her photographic work.

Daems creates urban snapshots of life on the streets: people on sidewalks, in the underground, underneath piers, in traffic or obscured by the reflection of a shop window. Upon closer inspection these seemingly ordinary images are delicate, not just because they question voyeurism, beauty or individuality, but mostly because of the way in which anonymous and unknown persons are noticed – or not – and classified. Each image is a careful composition, concealing a surprise. Nothing is as it seems. There is always another element, another truth hidden within.

Anne Daems is always looking for what usually remains out of sight. In images that appear empty and without seeking out drama or spectacle, she portrays a generation, a city or an entire zeitgeist. Her photographs show how the commonplace is interwoven with the sublime, which points to an extensive empathic curiosity.