Fragments du Monde – My First Exhibition at ZLab Gallery (July 2025)
Tout commence par une idée.
July 2025 will stay with me for a very long time. “Fragments du Monde,” my first-ever photography exhibition, ran for the full month at ZLab Gallery — and even now, looking back, I’m still processing everything it meant.
I had dreamed for years of sharing my work publicly, but when the opportunity finally arrived, fear came with it. I was genuinely worried that no one would show up, that the images I had collected from my travels would hang there quietly, unvisited. On top of that, life was unfolding at full speed: we were expecting a child (due that month), and there was a real chance that I might not even attend my own vernissage. In many ways, I began July more stressed than excited.
But reality had other plans.
A Month I Will Never Forget
The vernissage attracted more than 40 people, and throughout the month, another 50 visitors walked through the gallery. People I knew, people I didn’t, friends of friends, curious passersby, fellow photographers, and complete strangers who connected with the images. I was touched by their reactions, the conversations, the questions, and the stories they shared in return.
The aim of this exhibition was never to sell; the point was simply to show. To put fragments of my world on the wall and let people stand in front of them. But still, it meant a lot when some visitors decided to buy prints. It felt surreal, almost like a validation I didn’t expect: not financial, but emotional. A moment where you realise your work has meaning for someone else.
The Journey Behind the Exhibition
The exhibition would never have happened without my sisters. The decision itself took shape months earlier, during a family gathering in London. We were talking, as we often do, about projects, ideas, and dreams, and they pushed me gently but firmly toward this one. They told me to stop waiting, to stop perfecting, to just do it. They were right.
And most of all, I owe a great deal to my partner, Aline. She supported everything: the selection of photos, the prints, the frames, the logistics, and the countless decisions; all while carrying our future child and managing her own physical and emotional load. Her help, her presence, and her calm encouragement made the exhibition possible. I am incredibly grateful.
Fragments du Monde – The Pieces of the Story (next page)
Each Picture And Why I Took Them
Tout commence par une idée.
Flocons sur le Mont des Arts. Bruxelles, Belgique
Bruxelles, entre lumière et chantiers. Palais de Justice, Belgique
Grande Roue. Bruxelles, Belgique
Miroir d’un jour brumeux. Dinant, Belgique
Couleurs d’automne. Bruxelles, Belgique
Quand Bruxelles se couvre de blanc. Parc du Cinquantenaire, Bruxelles, Belgique
Au petit matin au Bois de Halle. Halle, Belgique
Galerie Ravenstein. Bruxelles, Belgique
Bruxelles en arc-en-ciel. Bruxelles, Belgique.
Escapade. Cabo da Roca, Portugal
Bougainvilliers. Folegandros, Grèce
An pè (en paix): Deshaies, Guadeloupe, France
Teotihuacan, Mexique
Spirale. Londres, UK
Symétrie. Parc Kruger, Afrique du Sud
Football dans le désert. La Guajira, Colombie
Mont Saint-Michel à l’heure dorée. France
Danse sur l’Adiatrique. Budva, Monténégro
Le Morne, Ile Maurice
Kastro suspendu. Sifnos, Grèce
Balade amoureuse. Londres, UK
Art nouveau à Mexico. Gran Hotel, CDMX, Mexique
Vallée de Cocora. Salento, Colombie
Cirque de Salazie. Ile de la Réunion, France
Entre ciel et pierre. Roque Nublo, Gran Canaria
The Shard, La Tamise. Londres, UK
Tradition. La Guajira, Colombie
Dans les rues d’Ixmiquilpan. Mexique
Sarakiniko, Milos, Grèce
Maisons colorées. Houten, Pays-Bas
La perle bleue du Rif. Chefchaouen, Maroc
Paralia Firopotamos, Milos, Grèce
Stare Miasto. Varsovie, Pologne
Ligne entre passé et présent. Tower Bridge, Londres, UK
Village insulaire. Sveti Stefan, Budva, Monténégro
Scheendijk, Pays-Bas
Paysage lunaire. Bahia Feliz, Grande Canarie
What This Exhibition Taught Me
Tout commence par une idée.
This first exhibition changed something in me.
It taught me:
that people do show up
that you don’t need to finish everything perfectly to start
that sharing your work is an act of vulnerability
that vulnerability is worth it
and that photography becomes more powerful the moment others see themselves in it
I went into July anxious. I left it encouraged, energized, and eager for more.
Looking Ahead
The experience at ZLab Gallery didn’t just mark the end of a project; it opened a door. I look forward to organizing another exhibition in the future, exploring new themes, geographies, and ways of presenting the world as I see it.
Bisi