Lumière derrière les barreaux, 2024

Hugo Kevelaer  

Hugo Kevelaer is a Belgian photographer based in Brussels. His work falls within the field of social documentary photography, with an intimate, portrait-focused approach. Through his images, he seeks to establish a relationship of trust with the people he photographs in order to reveal a raw and authentic sincerity. The human experience, as well as its profound connection to the environment, occupies a central place in his practice.

His projects generally develop over long periods, requiring patience, reflection, and total immersion in the realities he documents—a working method he fully embraces. In 2022, he finalized his personal project before embarking on a journey across Europe in search of new photographic narratives. A road trip in Romania then marked the starting point for a new body of images.

Among his most significant works is his focus on children and adolescents in foster care—young people separated from their parents and placed in other homes. Through this series, Kevelaer explores notions of memory, belonging, and the invisible traces left by family separation.

For his most recent project, he traveled to the Azores, where he continued his photographic research. The islands' isolation and the power of their landscapes brought a new dimension to his documentary approach, enriching and deepening his visual exploration.