About
Jeffrey De Keyser was born in 1984 in Kortrijk, a Belgian city in the Flemish province of West Flanders. He grew up in a village called Marke just outside of Kortrijk. Currently residing in Ghent, he embarked on a career as a social science teacher in Brussels after obtaining a master’s degree in political science from Ghent University. Beyond his profession, his foremost passions encompass travel, both domestically and internationally, and photography, often pursued simultaneously. These pursuits reflect his keen interest in delving into society and the human psyche.
De Keyser has always been interested in the power of visual language as a means of communication and storytelling, but it was only in 2014 that he began to take photography more seriously when he discovered the street photography genre. This genre continues to captivate him, as he perceives it as a gateway to a realm filled with magical moments and untold narratives. What began as a hobby evolved into a channel for self-expression and discovery, fundamentally reshaping his perception of reality.
As a street photographer, De Keyser directs his lens towards capturing the surreal and absurd facets of human existence. He regards photography as a reflection of the subconscious, a means of existential inquiry into perception, and a vehicle for probing the existential dilemma described by Camus. His objective as a photographer is to offer a glimpse into the human condition, a snapshot of the subconscious mind conveyed through a universal visual language. His artistic vision draws significant inspiration from the surrealist movement.
His work has been exhibited and curated internationally, having been a finalist at the Brussels Street Photography Festival, the London Street Photography Festival, the Italian Street Photo Festival in Rome, the Dublin Street Photography Festival, Street Sans Frontières in Paris, the Indian Photo Festival, the Moment Street Photo Awards in Poland, and Livorno Photo Meeting. Features that have been published online include Life Framer, Eyeshot Magazine, Street Photographers Foundation, and Bored Panda. In Belgium, he has exhibited at the Fotonale in Bruges, the Grote Prijs Sociale Fotografie in Ghent, as well as at shows curated by the visual arts platform Breedbeeld. His first solo exhibition ‘Catharsis’ - in collaboration with Fotografiecircuit Vlaanderen - travelled across 18 cultural centres across Flanders, Belgium between June 2019 and April 2022. His first zine, 'A Scanner Darkly', was published by Bump Books in April 2024.
Current exhibitions
- Brussels Street Photography Festival 2025, 28 May - 15 Jun 2025, RESET, Brussels (BE).
- UGent Alumnus of the Year 2025, 19 May - 15 Jun 2025, Boekentoren, Ghent (BE).
Past exhibitions
- Moment Street Photo Awards 2024, 10 - 30 May 2025, Poleczki.Art, Warsaw (PL).
- Moment Street Photo Awards 2024, 23 Feb - 23 Mar 2025, Muzeum w Lewkowie, Lewków (PL).
- Moment Street Photo Awards 2024, 14 Dec 2024 - 2 Feb 2025, Muzeum Cz., Częstochowa (PL).
- Eyeshot Open Call 2024, 15 - 17 Nov 2024, Magazzino Arti Sceniche, Bologna (IT).
- Opole Photography Festival 2024, 13 Sep - 6 Dec 2024, Municipal Public Library, Opole (PL).
- Istanbul Street Photography Festival 2024, 1 - 20 Oct 2024, Terra Santa Mekan, Istanbul (TR).
- Moment Street Photo Awards 2023, 7 Jul - 30 Aug 2024, Resursa Gallery, Żyrardów (PL).
- Moment Street Photo Awards 2023, 21 Apr - 20 May 2024, C. Przedmieściu, Wroclaw (PL).
- Dublin Street Photography Festival 2024, 3 - 6 May 2024, Charlemont Square, Dublin (IE).
- Italian Street Photography Festival 2024, 26 - 28 April 2024, Officine Fotografiche, Rome (IT).
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Awards & Achievements
- Brussels Street Photography Festival, Finalist in the 2025 singles competition.
- APF International Street Photography Awards, Top 100 Finalist in the 2024 competition.
- Moment Street Photo Awards, Finalist in the 2024 competition.
- Eyeshot Open Call, Finalist in the Eyeshot Open Call 2024.
- Istanbul Street Photography Festival, Finalist in the 2024 singles competition with 2 photos.
- Dublin Street Photography Festival, Second Prize in the 2024 single image competition.
- Italian Street Photography Festival, Finalist in the 2024 series and singles competition.
- Bump Books, 'A Scanner Darkly' zine published in 2024 by Bump Books.
- Moment Street Photo Awards, Finalist in the 2023 competition.
- Livorno Photo Meeting, Finalist in the 2023 competition.
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Features & Publications
- Bored Panda, March 2025. Feature article in the online magazine (part 4).
- Eyeshot Magazine, November 2024. Featured in Eyeshot Magazine Issue 16 "Open Call 2024".
- Eyeshot Magazine, October 2024. Featured in Eyeshot Magazine Issue 15 "Touch Me".
- Milk X, September 2024. Featured in MILK X Magazine: "Street: Unexpected Pictures".
- Eyeshot Magazine, August 2024. Featured in Eyeshot Magazine Issue 14 "Animal Anarchy".
- Bump Books, February 2024. 'A Scanner Darkly' zine published by Bump Books.
- Observe Collective, January 2024. Golden Gloves Award 2024 winner.
- Paris Street Photo Awards, December 2023. Honorable Mention PISPA 2023.
- RAUW Magazine, December 2023. Publication of the series Catharsis, finalist GPSF.
- Bored Panda, October 2023. Feature article in the online magazine (part 3).
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