Limburg

Limburg is a photo series by Lars Duchateau (BE) based on articles that appeared in the regional section of Het Belang van Limburg, the newspaper of a rural region in the north-eastern part of Belgium. The articles were published between November 2019 and October 2023 and have in common that they focus on often small and mundane stories, such as the sudden appearance of hundreds of mushrooms, a court case against a peeping Tom, three women stuck in a swamp, and the discovery of a long-lost wedding ring.

As these news stories were not accompanied by an image or used simple stock photos, Duchateau decided to create new photos. Large, timeless, and serene – often produced weeks, months, or even a year later – they contrast heavily with the concise texts, which are often more questioning than illuminating. Using medium and large format cameras, Duchateau created the images with care and concentration, providing a high level of detail to these relatively insignificant stories.

In Limburg, Duchateau offers a renewed stage to the seemingly trivial events of life. Those that give us hope and the ability to put things into perspective.