Danny Willems : Living on my Instinct

The exhibition "Living on my Instinct" explores the intersection of dance and photography. While the stage initially offered endless possibilities, Danny soon encountered its limitations. Theater is bound by sets, lighting, and structured choreography, so he began seeking freedom: freedom of movement, of light, and of space to experiment.

Together with dancers and performers he had befriended, he pushed the boundaries of dance, breaking away from narrative frameworks and academic movement patterns. He chose unconventional settings that stood in stark contrast to traditional rehearsal rooms and theater stages: the Paris metro, the streets of Tokyo, abandoned post-industrial sites, and stone quarries. In these free environments, performers could fully surrender to improvisation and experimentation. A new dynamic emerged between body and environment – where dance was no longer a performance, but an instinctive response to space.

Danny captured these moments in striking images that not only freeze movement in time but also reveal the deep interconnection between human, dance, and environment. His photography is not mere documentation, but interpretation – a search for the essence of movement, unbound by technique or tradition. Living on my Instinct is, above all, an ode to the raw, untamed power of dance, where freedom and expression take center stage.

A (very) small overview

In collaboration with Authenticphoto

The Calibration

The images were each manually calibrated with Danny's help.

The printing

The various media supports were printed by us. (Fine-Art papers and wallpaper)

The Framing

The frames are made by our in-house workshop at Authenticphoto using our Biarritz 2.0 wooden frame profile.

Excellent visit to all and a big thank you to Danny for his trust.