About
Nele Van Canneyt is a visual artist and photographer. She is guided by reality and by those fleeting, unguarded moments in which something of the world suddenly reveals itself, unfiltered. Her work moves within the tension between looking and imagining, where chance, intuition, and the unspoken play a quiet yet decisive role. She roams through urban landscapes, in Belgium and abroad, often at night, when the world slows down. Her images carry a charged silence and an almost tangible sense of presence.
Van Canneyt is drawn to the fragile instant in which reality briefly unfolds—and the photographer does not intervene but becomes a witness. Her practice is rooted in patient observation and careful selection, resulting in series in which meanings shift and new connections emerge. The viewer’s gaze is guided, yet gently challenged to form interpretations of their own.
Her work has been shown at Musea Brugge, Fort Napoleon during the Ostend Photo Biennial, Museum Westfront Nieuwpoort, Unseen Amsterdam, and the Rencontres internationales de la photographie in Gaspésie (Canada). During this period, her book As if the day never existed was published. Her solo exhibition Binnenland/Inner Land at the Arentshuis in Musea Brugge marked an important turning point in her exploration of the Belgian landscape, set against the backdrop of her travels and work abroad.
Her work is held in private and public collections, including Musea Brugge, Musea Kortrijk, and Museum Kortrijk. She received a Premium for Visual Arts of West Flanders and was selected for the Canvascollectie at BOZAR (Center for Fine Arts, Brussels).