Statement - Life Stories

After the heartwarming and festive opening of our exhibition ‘Life Stories,’ we were unfortunately confronted with an act of vandalism at our outdoor exhibition in Breda’s Valkenberg Park – one of the four locations of this mini-festival. Thanks to eye witnesses and security camera footage, the incident has been reported to the police, and we hope those responsible will be identified soon. Albeit this sad news, we are deeply moved by the many messages of support we’ve received. We want to express our immense gratitude to the numerous volunteers who generously offered their help to mend and clean the outdoor exhibition. Additionally, our sincere thanks extend to Breda’s Mayor Paul Depla, Councillor Marike de Nobel, and the various members of Breda’s political sector who stood by us, and against hatred and discrimination. Through these actions they made it clear that this destruction will not be tolerated – and that this incident only reinforces how urgent projects like ‘Life Stories’ are in our time. We remain united with our photographers, and send love and strength to everyone in the queer community and to all who may have been affected by this news. The exhibition has now been fully restored to its original quality, and we warmly invite you to visit ‘Life Stories’ at its various locations.

— BredaPhoto & Pride Photo

1. With more than 150 guests we celebrated the opening of ‘Life Stories’ on Saturday. Photo: Jeike Wullms
2. The exhibition in the Valkenberg Park has been restored with the kind help of many volunteers.