trivial;essential #1

Magnolia × soulangeana

“As his childhood had passed him by so quickly, Peter decided never to take his eyes off of time again for fear another second would slip by unnoticed.”

trivial;essential #2

Ranunculus acris

“Jacob actually did not mind the bullying all that much – somehow it made his parents take better care of him.”

trivial;essential #3

Aquilegia vulgaris

“Suddenly Richard realised the irony of it all: that he would like to be with her in either past or future, but just not in present.”

trivial;essential #4

Rosa × centifolia

“Doriane was beautiful and suffered from it every day. For just like a flower loses its petals, she knew that her beauty too would slowly fade.”

trivial;essential #5

Myosotis arvensis

“Jack had always enjoyed the occasional glass of wine, but since his wife had left him he has become a true connoisseur.”

trivial; essential

The lighting and setting are hyper-stylised; the exaggeratedly clean image borders on the soulless. But, the accompanying text suggests otherwise. With ‘trivial; essential’ (2011–2012) Verhallen explores such questions as: Can our visual perception of a scene change through a written accompaniment? (and if yes, how so?) and can our emotional involvement with – and interpretation of – a scene change simply by adding a few words? As the viewer of a photograph we often know nothing about the subject depicted, so how can we define what is essential and what is trivial? The Latin (in italics) is the name of the flower in the photograph, reflecting the symbolism of the moment.

Fine-art print on satin paper, or mounted on dibond.
LIMITED EDITION OF 7 (40 x 50 cm)
LIMITED EDITION OF 3 (80 x 100 cm)

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Selected Works

SPECTATE!Project type

Pro temporeProject type

CRASSHexhibition

KPF, Londonexhibition

King's Collegeexhibition

Schatjes, A'damexhibition

DC Londonexhibition

without a soundProject type

Earlier workProject type

trivial; essentialProject type

I, the PhotographProject type

il faut que je soisProject type

Pro temporeProject type

Non-Human AgencyProject type

Pro temporeProject type

memoriesProject type