Light, Dark, Light Again

In June next year, Stefaan De Croock’s solo exhibition 'Light, Dark, Light Again' will open at Cultuurcentrum Scharpoord. The title captures the essence of the project: time. It refers to the continuous cycle of light and darkness, the inevitable passage of time, and the transience that comes with it.

De Croock’s work centres on reflections on time, transience and human presence. He works with reclaimed materials that already carry a history. Scratches, cracks and signs of wear become carriers of new meaning. In collaboration with Knokke-Heist, a participatory search for wood will be organised, while the artist will collect materials with a patina throughout the wider area. In this way, local history becomes intertwined with traces from other places, creating a dialogue between place, time and memory.

Beyond the reference to the cycle of day and night, light and darkness also symbolise different moments in a human life. Periods of light and darkness alternate, always with the hope that after darkness, light will return. Stefaan De Croock’s works reflect this layered meaning. The often weathered materials bear traces of time and change, becoming a metaphor for the stories and experiences that shape who we are.

Several months before the opening, five installations will be placed in public space as silent witnesses. For nine months, they will remain exposed to light, air and weather, allowing time to literally inscribe itself onto their surfaces. The installations refer to the signs, placards and billboards that are ever-present in our landscape. Where these would normally convey a message or demand our attention, here the message is deliberately absent. In a world saturated with images and information, these works advertise silence.

This exploration approaches time as a process: an invitation to slow down and embrace stillness in an age of acceleration, a contemporary memento mori. The passage of time becomes the message. Afterwards, the works will be integrated into the indoor exhibition.

Info and full programme:
cultuur.knokke-heist.be/stefaandecroock

The installations are on view at the following locations:
Countdown - Zeedijk, near De Haas
Sequence - Coming soon
Billboard - Coming soon
Intermission - Coming soon
Perspective - Coming soon