Annex: David Claerbout

The Annex presents the first museum showing of a new work, Backwards Growing Tree (2023), by the internationally renowned Belgian artist David Claerbout. One of today’s most sought-after artists, Claerbout is known for his time-based multimedia installations in which he employs digital techniques to sharpen our experience of time and reality. 

In Backwards Growing Tree (2023), we see a digital representation of a tree. Claerbout observed this tree for five years and then created a virtual reconstruction of its development, but in reverse order. The tree grows backwards and will eventually disappear back into the earth. To witness this, you will have to be patient, just as nature makes us wait. Claerbout defies the laws of nature and employs digital techniques to reflect on the meaning of time, focusing on our experience of it.