Life Stories
Locations: Clublokaal, project space at Chassé Theater, Breda city center
The exhibition is free to visit. Open from Monday until Sunday – 11:00 until 17:00.
1 november – 30 november 2025
Plan your visit to Life Stories here
Five remarkable photo projects
I Remember Everything is a long-term photography project spanning the 35-year friendship between Danny Abood and photographer Julie Sundberg. Julie’s photographs capture Danny at powerful and intimate moments throughout his life: as a beautiful young man, in drag, on drugs, in his journey with a positive HIV diagnosis, and finally on his deathbed after his diagnosis with cancer — as well as all the moments in between.
When Andrés Gregorio Pérez revisited their family photo albums, they realized that their true self was nowhere to be seen. Pérez set out to change that. Dead Family is an artistic exploration of the role of the family archive, created in collaboration with various individuals from the LGBTQIA+ community as an act of self-reclamation.
With Invisible Border, Chiara Fabbro pays tribute to Dimitri, who walks through her hometown on the Greek island of Lesbos with head held high, wearing a stunning red dress. Her photographs depict the happy ending of a lifelong struggle against conservative parents, societal stigmatization, and inner battles — finally able to live as her true self, as a woman.
Since its founding in 1958, NASA actively rejected future employees and astronauts based on their perceived sexuality and gender identity. While NASA launched a dedicated LGBTQIA+ program in 2016, none of the approximately 600 astronauts who have traveled to space have openly identified as queer. In The Gay Space Agency, Mackenzie Calle humorously critiques the ongoing exclusion of queer astronauts.
For Mit Euren Spuren — which translates to “with your traces” — a collective of six photographers collaborated with eight queer senior citizens to share their stories. Due to anti-gay legislation and the fear of societal stigma and discrimination, many hid their sexuality and gender identity for most of their lives and never had the opportunity to share their experiences. This project shines a spotlight on their lived experiences and the lessons we must gain from them.
Breda muses portrayed by young talent
This final project, Mit Euren Spuren, receives a special continuation in Breda as part of Life Stories: five photography students from KABK The Hague and St. Joost School of Art & Design (Breda) shine a spotlight on the lives of six queer residents of Breda. Among them are Maria, who realises now, later in life, that she has always longed to live free from gender norms, and Will and Thieu, who exchanged vows in Breda in 1994 — long before the legalisation of same-sex marriage.
Mini Festival
Life Stories unfolds across the city like a true mini-festival, taking place at several locations. The heart of the exhibitions can be found at Clublokaal. In the project space of the Chassé Theatre, visitors can embark on a journey through queer history — from international milestones in the fight for equality to local stories from Breda, illustrated with photographs from various archives. The 2025 edition of the annual Pride Photo outdoor exhibition will be on display in Valkenberg Park, while the Nieuwe Veste Library presents the work of Ype Driessen. All venues are free to visit, helping the organisers make the exhibitions even more accessible. A voluntary contribution is warmly appreciated.
Plan your visit to Life Stories here
