Peter Marcel Hoste

EN

There is a suggestive tension in the work of Belgian photographer Peter Marcel Hoste. Deserted streets, bathed in vivid colors and alienating light, are like empty stage sets. Traces of human presence linger in the silence. Streetlights flood the images with a sodium glow that gives a multitude of narrative possibilities. His places are often devoid of human presence. Yet with his careful framing, he draws attention to the estranged silent world that has been left behind. The emptiness imbues his scenes with a timeless, almost metaphysical atmosphere. His work is both seductive and unsettling, with a cinematic quality; however, where cinema provides the images and stories, his photography tempts viewers to make the story themselves.

Peter Marcel Hoste (1970) lives and works near Ghent, Belgium. His photographic eye is strongly influenced by his background as a graphic designer and 3D architectural visualizer. Although his images are not manipulated or staged, he plays with reality. The square format narrows the field of view and moves the elements out of context, bringing abstraction and alienation. The intense colors and strong contrasts, combined with architectural geometry, lend his work a graphic quality. As a photographer, he works intuitively, guided by the urban landscape, looking for images that are both familiar and surprising. He is less concerned with the individual story, instead focusing on the general human narrative. He seeks site-specific traces in our urban environment and captures them in a way that evokes stories.