David Claerbout studied painting at the National Higher Institute for Fine Arts in Antwerp and continued his training at the Rijksakademie van Beeldende Kunsten in Amsterdam. Originally a painter, he developed a unique practice at the intersection of photography, video, and digital media, where time, movement, and perception are central.
His early work transformed still photographs into subtle video pieces, where barely perceptible movement brings the static image to life and makes the tension between past and present tangible. From the early 2000s, his practice evolved: filmic images were slowed down or digitally manipulated to acquire a photographic character, and he began creating large-scale video installations using digital reconstruction and 3D techniques, in which time is stretched and made perceptible.
Claerbout has exhibited internationally in leading institutions, including the Centre Pompidou (Paris) and the MoMA, San Francisco, and has participated multiple times in the Venice Biennale (2022, 2024).