Siska Vandecasteele is an Antwerp based photographer driven by enthusiasm, people and their little big stories. Her engaging style relies on layers of intimacy and research. Her aim is to capture daily happenings in their purest form, sometimes realistic, often minimalistic. Siska approaches the subject with a great lapse of time, essence, respect and honesty. For her personal work she lives among people to feel their common contexts. She meets serendipity compositions by her endless curiosity, humble patience and elegant empathy. For her projects, she went to the West-bank and stayed with Palestinian Bedouins and Jewish colonists, the Chinese hand pollination pear tree farmers in Sinchuan. She published a book ” Forain, kaffers and boerin”. This book was shortlisted at les Rencontres d’Arles and was also on the shortlist of the Photobook festival in Kassel.
Prior to become a freelance photographer Siska graduated as a master in graphic design at Sint-Lukas Antwerp and in 2020 she graduated from a post graduaat digital storytelling at Kask.
Most recently, she founded a collective DINSDAGEN with artists Marie Snauwaert and Debby Huysmans. With photographer and artist Ans Brys, she organized “The Female Gaze 2023,” a successful non-profit print sale of 100 Female Belgian Photographers. Lately she has been working on a new project “Shoot me a bird”.
Her commissions include collaborations with media such as: De Tijd • L’Echo • De Volkskrant • Knack • Knack Weekend • De Morgen • De Standaard • Serax (house photographer) • Vlaamse Opera • Stad Antwerpen • 11.11.11 • Ugent • Dokters van de Wereld • Pasar Magazine • Uit Magazine • The Word • Cultuur Invest • Creatief schrijven • Sanoma Magazines • and several advertising agencies…
EXHIBITIONS
2005-2006 GROEPSTENTOONSTELLING FOTOCIRCUIT VLAANDEREN, ANTWERPEN
2006 GROEPSTENTOONSTELLING BELGISCHE FOTOGRAFEN FOMU, ANTWERPEN
2009 SOLOTENTOONSTELLING, VOSSELAAR
2011 SOLOTENTOONSTELLING, VOSSELAAR
2013 SOLOTENTOONSTELLING “HIDDEN BORDERS” & “30” GALLERY GGBELDÉ, ANTWERP
2016 GROEPSTENTOONSTELLING PROJECT FOOD AND CITY, ANTWERPEN ISM KDG
2017 TENTOONSTELLING MET DEBBY HUYSMANS AND MARIE SNAUWAERT, OOSTENDE
2018 BOOKLAUNCH ”FORAIN KAFFERS EN BOERIN” & EXPOSITIE, HUIS VAN ALIJN, GENT
2018 LES RENCONTRES ARLES VIDEOWERK OP LA NUIT DE L’ANNEE
”FORAIN,KAFFERS EN BOERINNEN”
2018 SHORTLISTED AT LUMA RENCONTRES DUMMY BOOK AWARD ARLES
”FORAIN,KAFFERS EN BOERIN”
2018 SHORTLISTED AT KASSEL DUMMY BOOK AWARD ”FORAIN,KAFFERS EN BOERIN”
2019 GROEPSTENTOONSTELLING BELGIAN PHOTOBOOKS, FOMU, ANTWERPEN
2020 GROEPSTENTOONSTELLING DIGITAL STORYTELLING, KASK
2023 OPRICHTING COLLECTIEF DINSDAGEN
2023 SOCIAAL PROJECT EN VIDEOWERK VEERKRACHT TURNHOUT
2023 SOCIAAL PROJECT PHOTOVOICE DEURNE
2023 RESIDENTIE DINSDAGEN, HOBOKEN
2023 MEDEWERKER SOCIAAL PROJECT THE FEMALE GAZE VOOR GAZA
2023 SOCIAAL PROJECT SHOWING OFF 9 ISM HET MUKHA
2024 MEI RESIDENTIE DINSDAGEN BIP (BIENNALE DE L’IMAGE POSSIBLE), LUIK
UPCOMING
2025 APRIL TENTOONSTELLINGSPROJECT “SHOOT ME A BIRD”
YPER MUSEUM , HET CC PERRON, HET BAKKERIJMUSEUM,
KUNST IN OPENBARE RUIMTE TE IEPER
BOEKEN
2013 “30” ISM GALLERY GGBELDÉ, ANTWERP
2018 “FORRAIN KAFFERS EN BOERINNEN” SELF PUBLISHED BOEK
2024 “DINSDAGEN” SELF PUBLISHED PUBLICATIE
Credits:
Site: dries janssens
Design: elvire delanote
Special thanks to all the people I worked with, family and friends.