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Jean-Claude Berens| 15 Oct 2018| 0 comments

I am happy to announce that one of my photographs has been chosen for the book ‘Stone Mothers’ from Erin Kelly.

Erin Kelly is the Sunday Times bestselling author of The Poison TreeThe Sick RoseThe Burning Air, The Ties That Bind, He Said/She SaidStone Mothers and Broadchurch: The Novel, inspired by the mega-hit TV series. In 2013, The Poison Tree became a major ITV drama and was a Richard & Judy Summer Read in 2011. He Said/She Said spent six weeks in the top ten in both hardback and paperback, was longlisted for the Theakston’s Old Peculier crime novel of the year award, and selected for both the Simon Mayo Radio 2 and Richard & Judy Book Clubs. She has worked as a freelance journalist since 1998 and written for the GuardianThe Sunday TimesDaily MailNew StatesmanRedElleCosmopolitan and The Pool. Born in London in 1976, she lives in north London with her husband and daughters.
www.erinkelly.co.uk
www.twitter.com/mserinkelly

Erin Kelly – Stone Mothers

Marianne was seventeen when she fled her home, her boyfriend Jesse and the body they buried.

Now, forced to return, she can feel the past closing around her. And Jesse, who never forgave her for leaving, is finally threatening to expose the truth.

Marianne will do anything to protect the life she’s built: the husband and daughter who must never know. Even if it means turning to her worst enemy…

But Marianne may not know the whole story – and she isn’t the only one with secrets they would kill to keep.

Jean-Claude Berens| 17 Jul 2017| 0 comments

Dear Friends,

It took me some time to take an important decision. After long reflection I have decided that I will no longer show my artwork on exhibitions. There are several reasons for that. First of all, I don’t have the time to do so anymore as I have decided to use my spare time for philanthropic projects. Helping those in need gives sense to my life and to what I am doing. One of the other reasons is that I do not enjoy anymore showing the same artwork as I am always requested to show my decay collection.

Decay photography was a spiritual exercise for me. As subject I have chosen to deal with old age, decay and death, to show the beauty of it. We all fear death. This exercise has brought me closer to the significance of death and the beauty of it. I am not suicidal in any way, but I have discovered the beauty of life and death, and also that both of them are just an illusion. What is, is eternal and tremendous beauty as soon as we open our eyes.

I will keep my website alive and post new photos whenever I do some. I will also answer requests and still sell my art. Feel free to contact me if you have any questions or request. I’ll be happy to answer.

Jean-Claude Berens| 23 May 2017| 0 comments

I am happy to announce that the Huntenkunst exhibition in Ulft was a great success. Some of my photographs can still be viewed in the Galerie bij de Boeken in Ulft (NL) until June 25th, together with the works of François Besch, Luc Ewen, Carine Kraus, Nathalie Noé Adam and Marie-Pierre Speltz.

 

De Luxemburgers komen

De Luxemburgers komen

Jean-Claude Berens| 23 Apr 2017| 0 comments

I am happy to announce that I have been invited for the yearly international visual arts event “Huntenkunst” at the SSP-HAL in Ulft (Netherlands).

The Vernissage will be held the 19th Mai @ 17:00 hrs.

Huntenkunst 2017 will be held on the 19, 20 and 21 May for the 25th time and for the sixth time at the SSP Hal in Ulft. This huge former factory hall is a listed industrial heritage building. The event will host 220 artists.

Artists from a specific country are highlighted at Huntenkunst. This year this is the case with seven artists from Luxembourg. The Luxembourg pavilion will be situated in the center of the hall. These artists will also exhibit their work at the “Galerie bij de Boeken” (Gallery at the Books) in Ulft. The gallery has a space in the DRU Cultuurfabriek (DRU Culture Factory). The gallery exhibition will be held from 15 May to 25 June and is titled ’The Luxembourgers are coming!’.

Huntenkunst 2017

Jean-Claude Berens| 17 Mar 2017| 0 comments

I am happy to announce that one of my photographs has been chosen as the bookcover for a novel from Javier Cercas.

Javier Cercas (born 1962 in Ibahernando) is a writer and professor of Spanish literature at the University of Girona, Spain. He is one of a group of well-known Spanish novelists, which includes Julio Llamazares, Andrés Trapiello, and Jesus Ferrero, who have published fiction in the vein of “historical memory”, focusing on the Spanish Civil War and the Franco dictatorship.

Javier Cercas - Le mobile

“Le mobile” (El móvil), first and short novel by Javier Cercas published in 1987, and translated in 2016 by Élisabeth Beyer and Aleksander Grujičič for the publishing house Actes Sud, is the story of a man named Álvaro, employed in a law firm who dreams of writing a big novel. Working hard on his novel, he will demonstrate that he is ready to truly subordinate his life to literature.

Jean-Claude Berens| 22 Nov 2016| 0 comments

One of my most expressive pictures has been chosen for an album cover.

INTENSUTOPIA is the musical world of Norwegian singer/guitarist Tony Kåreid. “Shades of Faith” is a concept album about the abuse of power in religious circles, where we follow the main character from birth through childhood into frustration of the community he’s in during his teens. This becomes too hard to handle and the choices made turns into great consequences.
A very dramatic story inspired from real world events and raise the questions why something supposed to be good turns bad…

Tony’s Website

Intensutopia

Jean-Claude Berens| 22 Aug 2016| 0 comments

I have been invited for an exhibition at the Tuchfabrik (TuFa) in Trier by the Fotografische Gesellschaft Trier.

The Vernissage will be held the 23rd September @ 19:00 hrs at Tuchfabrik (1st Floor) in Trier (get directions by clicking on the marker on the map below the banner.) A guided tour through the exhibition will be held on October 10th @ 19:30 hrs.

Erinnerungen (small)

 

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Jean-Claude Berens| 09 Jun 2016| 0 comments

I am proud to announce that I will be present at the 10th anniversary edition of Konscht am Minett @ Fond-de-Gras

The Vernissage will be held the 29th June @ 19:00 hrs in Hall Paul Wurth in Fond-de-Gras (get directions by clicking on the marker on the map below the banner.)

Konscht am Minett - 10

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Jean-Claude Berens| 10 Mar 2016| 0 comments

Remember, it was ten months ago and it happened more than 7000 kilometers away from central Europe: on April 25, a powerful earthquake and its deadly aftershocks ravaged the area of Kathmandu in Nepal. More than 9000 people have died so far and 14000 were injured by the earthquake of a magnitude of 7.8 that hit this Himalayan country. Thousands of survivors endure freezing days in flimsy temporary shelters. Nearly 500 000 homes were destroyed and reconstruction is delayed.

Since 24 September 2015 this Himalayan country already suffering the double punishment of the earthquake and the sudden stop of its tourism business, had to face a blockade of its supplies from India which hindered reconstruction further more.

The territory has faced five months of unprecedented shortage of fuel, gas, commodities and medicines. In town, most Nepalese didn’t have gas anymore and they were forced to cook with wood in the streets. Transportation as well as the entire economy was dramatically slowed down.

Earlier this February, the blockade was officially lifted. Demonstrations have claimed nearly 50 lives since last summer.

Since February 5 trucks began to move but the oil issue seems for the time not yet fully resolved.

Although we are no longer regularly confronted with news from Nepal, this small, welcoming and friendly country is still under the influence of adverse consequences of the disaster that struck it 10 months ago.

I am still in regular contact with my friends in Kathmandu, who are tirelessly working to rebuild their country and I know that there is still a huge need for help. Like every year, I will also go to Nepal this year to help the most vulnerable of all, the children. With your help I hope to be able to give new hope for a better future to many children, and help them move forward in their studies to see growing up a generation that will be able to take in their hands the fate of this beautiful country and its population.

However, there is only one month left to receive donations that I will invest in equipment and school clothes. These can be given to me personally or transferred by donating at betterplace.org.
I hope for your generosity this year and I will, as every year, keep you informed of the exact progress of the project as well as investments I made through your donations. This time a good friend will accompany me to help me realize this project.

Thank you very much for your help and I remain at your disposal for any further questions.

Donate now for the children in Nepal through our partner betterplace.org

Jean-Claude Berens| 06 Mar 2015| 0 comments

Despite some progress in poverty reduction in recent years, Nepal remains one of the poorest countries in the world, with a Human Development Index of 0.463, placing it 157th out of 187 countries listed in the United Nations Development Programme’s Human Development Report 2013.

Over 30 per cent of Nepalese live on less than US$14 per person, per month, according to the national living standards survey conducted in 2010-2011. While the overall poverty rate for Nepal is 25 per cent, this figure increases to 45 per cent in the Mid-Western region and 46 per cent in the Far-Western region. In these remote hill and mountain zones, the terrain is rugged, rainfall is low and the poor-quality soil is difficult to farm. Agricultural holdings per household are the smallest in the country.

About 80 per cent of Nepal’s people live in rural areas and depend on subsistence farming for their livelihoods. Household food insecurity and poor nutrition are major concerns in these areas, where about half of children under five years of age are undernourished. Most rural households have little or no access to primary health care, education, safe drinking water, sanitation or other basic services.

The name Bourgandi Children Home is taken from the French region Burgundy which also is the name of an organization in France which is fully sponsoring the food to the children. It is a small children home established on 22nd January 2010 by seven of the members completing the legal procedures to open such organization, taking over a similar organization which was on the verse of collision. Located at Ramhitti-6, Boudha, the organization is currently run by two persons, Mr. Sanjeev Yonjan, the president and Mr. Ghaman Tamang, secretary of the organization. The organization in total consisted of 25 children who were from rural areas of our country like Dolpo, Bajura, Jasin Pauwa, etc. as its targeted areas are the rural ones of the nation. The children living there studies in Gyanmala School together.

The two of the people, Mr. Yonjan and Mr. Tamang who are looking after the organization are professionally into different business. But, because of their keen interest on providing knowledge and shelter to the children from rural areas who are lacking behind, they started with the children home which is providing food and shelter for 25 children from different areas of the nation which no doubt will be getting a better future.

This year I have decided to dedicate my full support to the Bourgandi Children Home. I have already met the kids and Mr. Tamang last year when we sponsored books for the kids. This years’ needs are the same, books and uniforms. The total amount needed is 1100 Euro. I will try to amass as much as possible by fund raising to support the children and the orphanage. If you would like to be part of the project, you can either make an online donation or send me some funds on my bank account. Please have a look at my philanthropy page to see a video of last years’ project.