"Construed Reality is the avatar of our deepest desire:
to be dancing on a stage, human no longer"
                                                                        KDP, 2011
 

Between Self and Other: Intersubjectivity as Leitmotif in the Work of Kobe De Peuter

In the work of Kobe De Peuter, intersubjectivity is not presented as a self-evident human trait, but rather as a mechanism that subtly yet powerfully shapes the contours of identity and the experience of reality. His oeuvre unfolds as a long-term exploration of how the individual relates to their environment and how, in turn, that environment structures our subjectivity. What begins as an introspective inquiry evolves into a lucid dissection of the social and visual systems that constitute our collective consciousness.

In the series The Stage (2007–2019), De Peuter investigates public space as a symbolic stage: a place where the individual becomes visible, yet always within pre-scripted frameworks. The architectural interiors that dominate the series suggest not only spatial perspective but also behaviour and thought patterns. These spaces function as prompters: a visual language that whispers how we are expected to act, what we are supposed to feel. As the series progresses, direct realism gives way to more constructed, fragmented compositions, as though the artist is attempting to crack open the façade itself. Yet the images remain oddly familiar; they tap into a shared cultural memory in which symbolism and structure mirror one another.

During the development of The Stage, a new form of public space emerged: social media. De Peuter recognised in it an intensified manifestation of intersubjective normativity. On platforms like Instagram, he observed recurring visual motifs and compositional patterns: modern icons of meaning. These images often carry traces of transcendence, echoing mythological afterworlds such as the Elysian Fields, or cinematic melancholy as seen in Gladiator. What is intended as personal self-presentation often turns out to be an unconscious reproduction of shared visual codes.

This thematic line is further explored in the series Exterior (2016–2025), in which De Peuter dissects the illusion of the exterior image. The landscape, traditionally a symbol of freedom or introspection, here becomes a mirror of cultural projection. The individual who seeks to inscribe themselves into the world does so by employing a visual language that long predates the personal moment. The filter, the framing, the chosen setting..., each image is at once personal and collective, an expression of the illusion of uniqueness within a rigidly defined convention.

De Peuter’s oeuvre is thus not a cynical critique, but a subtle invitation to awareness. His images reveal how intersubjectivity operates: as a nest of shared meaning in which we learn to feel, to look, and to exist. Yet this nest is also constructed, artificial, culturally steered. By making this visible without overt explanation, De Peuter invites us to reflect on how deeply image, and our relationship to it, shapes the way we understand ourselves and our humanity. (NV, 2025)