We Are Europe

The fall of the Berlin Wall motivated photographer and journalist Lieve Blancquaert to set off on an epic tour of Europe in her campervan. She visited all 27 member states of the European Union in search of the origins of this identity. She wanted to hear and feel what holds us together and what divides us. Her many personal encounters reveal time and again that our own language, history, concerns, desires and dreams are far more universal than we might at first think. Europeans as such don't exist, and yet we are connected in many different ways, whether we like it or not. Through hundreds of penetrating images and dozens of colourful stories, Lieve Blancquaert shows, as in a travel diary, the complexity, diversity and beauty of this vulnerable continent. With a foreword by Hendrik Vos. At the same time as the book, VRT Canvas is also launching a series of the same name, and the accompanying exhibition at Mechelen Cultural Centre runs from 14 March to 30 June 2024, as part of the city festival Construct Europe. AUTHOR: Lieve Blancquaert (°1963) studied film and photography at KASK Gent and works since 1985 as a freelance photographer for different newspapers and magazines. Blancquaert's work is full of social commitment and the fight against injustice, especially against women. She has already worked for Kom op tegen Kanker (Belgian fight against cancer campaign), Oxfam Fair Trade and Plan International. SELLING POINTS: . Today's Europe seen through the eyes of photographer Lieve Blancquaert . At the same time as the book, Belgian TV channel VRT Canvas is also launching a series of the same name, and the accompanying exhibition at Mechelen Cultural Centre runs from 14 March to 30 June 2024, as part of the city festival Construct Europe 264 colour, 5 b/w illustrations