I Am Here – Je suis là – Ik ben hier

The exhibition I Am Here – Je suis là – Ik ben hier brings into dialogue artists and researchers to explore the evolving concept of self-representation in contemporary society. Through a multidisciplinary approach, the project examines how individuals construct, perceive, and perform identity—from traditional self-portraiture to the omnipresence of digital imagery. 

At the intersection of art and science, the exhibition invites visitors to reflect on themes such as visibility, narcissism, and the need to assert one’s presence in an increasingly image-saturated world. By combining artistic installations, interactive works, and academic research, I Am Here creates a dialogue between subjective experience and collective behavior. 

The project highlights how the act of saying “I am here” has transformed over time. What once belonged to the realm of painted self-portraits now extends to selfies, social media, and digital avatars—raising questions of authenticity, perception, and selfhood. 

Hosted in Brussels and developed in collaboration with researchers and cultural actors, the initiative fosters an immersive experience where visitors are encouraged to engage actively with the works and reconsider their own relationship to image and identity.

First-floor intervention: “Le visage c’est un autre” 

On the first floor of the exhibition, visitors encounter Le visage c’est un autre, a project developed by the ASBL MadeWithHeart. This installation expands the initiative’s reflection on identity by focusing on the merging of the visitor's face with someone else's face. 

Conceived as a Photomaton booth, it resonates with the broader exhibition themes as it examines how we recognize ourselves—and are recognized by others—in an era dominated by visuals, appearance and the pressure to remain emotionally composed at all times.

The intervention gives voice to 29 women and their stories, in the form of poetic texts interpreted by the women themselves. It adds an intimate yet unsettling layer to the exhibition, inviting visitors to reconsider the stability of the “self” when filtered through perception, memory, and unexpected personal storytelling.

The exhibition runs until 31 May at the Espace Vanderborght Rue de l'Ecuyer, 50 1000 Brussels.