Antrum

In her book Antrum Rio Staelens showcases images of various „Lourdes grottos“ surrounded by their specific flora. As replicas of The Grotto of Massabielle, part of a Catholic sanctuary in the french city of Lourdes, the Lourdes grottos were re-built in the 19th and 20th centuries in various places, including Belgium. An artificial cave surrounded by a specific rock formation, accompanied by a niche for a statue of Saint Mary, sometimes provided with an altar, these caves represent an important place of local pilgrimage of Catholic believers. Rio Staelens: “Covered by mosses, ferns and rock plants, these sculptures have become one with nature. Often surrounded by exuberant exotic plants, a distant world that shows us the remains of a religious culture is evoked. Like the caves, which are reproductions and therefore a lie, the photographs project an image that is an illusion. A fantasy.“ — Rio Staelens