Was born in Belgium in 1956. Lives and works in Brussels.
Didier Engels is a Belgian photographer whose work is an ode to the sea and the merchant ships that ply its waters. Since childhood, his strolls along the docks have nurtured a deep passion for this fascinating environment, a passion reinforced by his experience as a docker in Zeebrugge at the age of 20. This immersion in the port world has shaped his artistic vision, enriched his eye for textures and colors, and nourished his memories.
Didier Engels’ photography is an exploration of the raw beauty of maritime traffic. He captures the majesty of salt-ridden hulls. He captures the traces of time on the metal of tide-worn freighters, the tangle of containers washed away by the sea spray. Each image reveals delicate details: faded colors and sedimentary textures that evoke the history of objects and their passage through the elements. The Dry Dock and Kaaien series, which the artist began in January 2015, testify to his ability to transform relics into vibrant works of art, full of life and memory.
After a career spanning more than 30 years in the field of texture research, notably as a textile stylist, Didier Engels devoted himself fully to photography, revealing his self-taught talent. Today, based in Brussels, he continues to explore the maritime world, fusing aesthetics and history in each photograph. His work offers a unique vision, where every detail opens a door to a world rich in emotion, inviting the viewer to immerse themselves in an experience that is both visual and sensory.
Personal exhibitions:
2024
Galerie Charline Kervyn Gallery – Voldersstraat (BE)
2023
Kaaien – Galerie Art Unity Gallery – Knokke (BE)
Kaaien – Galerie Inside-Out Gallery – Bruxelles (BE)
2019
Galerie Melting Art Gallery – Lille (FR)
Group exhibitions and fairs:
2024
Galerie Artima – Honfleur (FR)
Art Montpellier – Galeries Siennicka (FR)
Art Miami – Fremin Gallery (USA)
Pan Amsterdam – Okker Art Gallery (NL)
Photo Basel Miami Scope – Inside Out Gallery (USA)
Naarden Art Fair – Okker Art Gallery (NL)
Affordable Art Fair Hamburg – Visus Gallery (D)
Affordable Art Fair Berlin – Visus Gallery (D)
Photo Basel – Inside-Out Gallery (CH)
Affordable Art Fair Hong-Kong – Visus Gallery (HKG)
Mia Photo Fair Milan (IT)
Photo London Fair – London – Inside-Out Gallery (UK)
Affordable Art Fair London – Inside-Out Gallery (UK)
KunstRAI Amsterdam – Okker Art Gallery (NL)
Art’up Lille – Inside-Out Gallery (FR)
Affordable Art Fair Brussels – Art Unity Gallery (BE)
Charline Kervyn gallery – Gent (BE)
Galerie Métamorphose – Le Touquet (FR)
Inside-Out Gallery – Brussels (BE)
2023
PAN Amsterdam – Okker Art Gallery (NL)
Affordable Art Fair Amsterdam – Okker Art Gallery (NL)
Affordable Art Fair London – Visus Gallery (UK)
Photo London – Inside-Out Gallery (UK)
Affordable Art Fair Hong-Kong – Visus Gallery (HKG)
KunstRAI Amsterdam – Okker Art Gallery (NL)
Art’up Lille (FR)
PhotoFairs – Javits Center – NYC – Inside-Out Gallery (USA)
Heart drop – with Sioe Jeng Art Unity Gallery – Knokke (BE)
2022
KunstRAI Amsterdam – Okker Art Gallery (NL)
Affordable Art Fair Amsterdam – Okker Art Gallery (NL)
Affordable Art Fair New-York (USA)
Galerie Visus Gallery – Saint-Martin-de-Ré (FR)
Affordable Art Fair London (UK)
Affordable Art Fair Brussels (BE)
Foto Fever Paris (FR)
Fremin Gallery – NYC (USA)
2021
Art Unity Gallery – Brussels
Affordable Art Fair Amsterdam – Okker Art Gallery (NL)
KunstRAI Amsterdam – Okker Art Gallery (NL)
Affordable Art Fair Brussels (BE)
Galerie Visus Gallery – Saint-Martin-de-Ré (FR)
2020
Affordable Art Fair – Brussels (BE)
Affordable Art Fair – London (UK)
Affordable Art Fair – Amsterdam – Okker Art Gallery (NL)
2019
Affordable Art Fair – London (UK)
Affordable Art Fair – Brussels (BE)
Scope Art Show – Miami (USA)
Art’up Lille (FR)
Magic Front Plan – L Gallery – Brussels (BE)
2018
Affordable Art Fair – Brussels (BE)
Affordable Art Fair – London (UK)
We Are Artist – Brussels (BE)
Art Unity Gallery – Knokke (BE)
2017
Affordable Art Fair – Brussels (BE)
Affordable Art Fair – London (UK)
Affordable Art Fair – Knokke (BE)
2016
Galerie Ten – Knokke (BE)
We Are Artist – Brussels (BE)
Les Jeux d’Hiver – Brussels (BE)
Maverick Expo – Paris (FR)