The Ardennes region is like a time capsule.The southern Belgian/northern French region was once bustling with activity.
This area thrived until major industries shifted their focus to larger cities.In the wake of this migration, the Ardennes have gradually slipped into a state of impermanence, a place where time seems to stand still.
Many people, despite the odds stacked against them, have chosen to stay. They remain devoted to the land, to the forests and hills that surround them. Those who continue to call this region home often find themselves turning back to the land, relying on it for their livelihood. Hunting, in particular, embodies this relationship—for many in the Ardennes, hunting is not just a means of survival but a tradition that binds them to the land and its history.
This tradition is not without complexity. Modern hunting often shifts from necessity to recreation, raising concerns about its impact on the delicate ecosystems of the Ardennes, with the risk of turning a practice of survival into a demonstration of human dominance.The hunt is a highly confrontational and contradictory ordeal—a space where hyper-masculinity and nature coexist. In this series, I document the land, the people who inhabit it, and how they approach the tradition of hunting within this region, revealing both blood and beauty.
About Luuk Van Raamsdonk
Luuk Van Raamsdonk (2001) is a lens-based artist and researcher based in Breda (NL). He graduated from St. Joost School of Arts & Design in 2024, where he earned a BA in Photography. In his work, van Raamsdonk strives to reveal and understand the mysteries of the world around him. He uses lens-based media to support his need to investigate, question, and deconstruct. This is achieved by combining the historical and archival qualities of photography with a contemporary approach. Themes of (family) history, identity, trauma, and the human-nature relationship frequently recur in his practice. He translates them into deeply personal long-term projects characterized by multidisciplinary installations and black-and-white imagery. His practice is rooted in research, driven by curiosity, repetition, and experimentation. He is constantly seeking new ways to question the known and visualize the unknown. [Official Website]
