New Dawn

"Working with Marc during two Face-to-Face sessions, I was struck by the clarity of his conceptual drive and his willingness to interrogate power structures through visual form. His project 'New Dawn' operates within what Lucy Soutter describes as expanded photography, where the photographic image is no longer confined to depiction but becomes sculptural, staged, and materially constructed. Marc’s compositions resist the illusion of neutrality; instead, they expose how images are built, positioned, and historically conditioned.

His use of miniature sets, stones, wires, and staged interventions functions as a metaphor for geopolitical imbalance. These fragile sculptural arrangements echo the instability of global systems shaped by colonial histories. In our conversations, we discussed how references such as Gulliver and 'The Incredible Shrinking Man' operate not as literary decoration but as structural devices for thinking about scale, agency, and domination. Within a Belgian context, this inevitably recalls the country’s colonial legacy, including the 1958 Brussels World’s Fair 'human zoo,' a stark example of how power once materialized through spectacle and display.

Since our first meeting, Marc has become more precise in articulating these stakes, both visually and verbally. His work demonstrates a growing confidence in merging research, material experimentation, and narrative, and I am convinced this body of work has strong potential for exhibition contexts where its spatial and conceptual tensions can fully unfold." (Francesca Hummler)

I turn on the tap and have water, prepare a meal and have access to medical care if needed. Why is this not possible for everyone on our planet despite increased global prosperity? How is it that there is such an extreme concentration of power and wealth? I happen to live in a place on earth where life is not a struggle against hunger and thirst.

In my project “New Dawn,” I identify colonialism as an important historical cause of the current global concentration of prosperity and power and its impact on the modern individual worldwide. Colonialism laid the foundations for the current structures of international trade. “New Dawn” is a story of hope, and the belief that a shift in our paradigm is possible, which can lead to a more balanced distribution of wealth. Sculptural images serve as a reflection of the current global tension, individual vulnerability and personal desire for balance and stability.

The storyline is supported by two figures from film and literature who represent the two extremes on the scale of power distribution: Gulliver, from “Gulliver's Travels” (1726) and Scott from “The Incredible Shrinking Man” movie (1757). Gulliver – as a giant – uses his power to influence society, while Scott – who begins to shrink daily after exposure to a radioactive cloud – loses all power over his own life.

Marc Verbeek took part in our Face-to-Face educational feedback program with Community Manager and Program Curator Francesca Hummler.