Etienne Courtois
(1969, Belgium)
![](/images/miscellaneous/EC-Portrait-H.jpg)
The surrealist work of Etienne Courtois is made up of things that he finds during his walks. By playing with light and shadow, he transforms these everyday objects into photographs with a three-dimensional twist.
An Apparently Marginal Activity
For the ING Talent Award 2021 Courtois made the work An Apparently Marginal Activity. In this work, Courtois sought to convey the idea of being adrift in a sea of conflicting messages and clinging to beacons to make sense of it all – and how we ourselves become beacons of resilience in the process. The title of this work invites us to consider the meaning of this activity in our own lives.
Etienne Courtois about his work for the ING Talent Award 2021.
![](/images/miscellaneous/Etienne-Courtois-780x430-bis.jpg)
Etienne Courtois. An Apparently Marginal Activity. 115 x 85 cm & 110 x 103 cm. UV print on gesso on wood panel, acrylic and wood.
![](/images/miscellaneous/Etienne-Courtois-2.jpg)
An Apparently Marginal Activity (detail)
![](/images/miscellaneous/Etienne-Courtois-3.jpg)
An Apparently Marginal Activity (detail)
![](/images/miscellaneous/Etienne-Courtois-1_2021-05-03-101241.jpg)
An Apparently Marginal Activity (installation view)
Meet the other ING Talent Award 2021 Finalists