Commissioned by Foam
Artist
Henk Wildschut
Curator
Kim Knoppers
Date
8 April – 5 June 2016
Calais – From Jungle to City is capturing the refugee crisis in the port city of Calais as documented by photographer Henk Wildschut since 2005.
Close to the port city of Calais in France, in the heart of democratic Europe, a parallel world has existed for ten years. Refugees from Africa and the Middle East are waiting here for their chance to cross the Channel to Great Britain. The Jungle, as it is nicknamed, has been slowly taking over the shape of a city over the last few months. A city that, by political decisions, has started to being dismantled from 29 February 2016.
In Calais – From Jungle to City photographic and cinematic images alternate, giving an insight into how the structure of the camp is rapidly changing. Henk Wildschut’s way of working has a documentary character, but it is also poetic and suggestive. His photos provide a counterweight to the emotional photos of refugees familiar to us from newspapers and television.