Jef Cornelis

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Jef Cornelis (b. 1941, Antwerp where he lives) is an experimental Belgian director, and the first to explore the relationship between television and art, documentary and artist’s films. His work reconsiders the usual format of television reportage and focuses on reflection, discussion and the development of TV as a site for investigating the socio-cultural realm. Eschewing traditional TV formats, and opting for sudden juxtapositions, abstract compositions, or conceptual mise-en-abîmes, Cornelis has made over 240 films for the VRT, one of Belgium’s public TV channels.

Cornelis scholar Koen Bramshas selected films by the artist for viewers to watch on televisions in a domestic space, not only introducing an audience to this important and recalcitrant figure, but also serving as a place for conversations about what television can be and how it can be used to document and represent art.