Come As You Are

Model: Drag Couenne — Look: Marie Scerri © Laetitia Bica

23.05.25 to 06.09.25

Open from Wednesday to Saturday

11 a.m. to 6 p.m.

Closed on 29 May and 15 August

A fashion photography exhibition with exclusive work by photographer Laetitia Bica.

Come as you are. For Brussels-based photographer Laetitia Bica, this goes without saying. As an artist, she does not let herself be limited by rules or clichés, always offering her audience a unique perspective. Her colourful photos are the result of artistic, intimate and emotional encounters.

Through this exhibition, Bica highlights not only individual expression, but also the power of the collective. For this exclusive photo series, the photographer puts 15 personalities in front of her lens dressed in looks by 25 Brussels and Belgian designers. From punk and kitch to drama, her images tell stories about fascinating beauties, otherness and the human body. The expo invites the public to become part of this shared narrative and discover the many facets of human expression.

About 'Come as You are'

For the exhibition Come as You Are, Laetitia Bica made a special series of photographs that beautifully depict 15 personalities. She brought together a diverse group of performers: dancers, drag artists, DJs, make-up artists and actors. Their individuality and expression are central to the photographs.

For an entire month, Bica set up a photo studio at MAD Brussels. Her temporary studio became a space for creation, exchange and experimentation. Nothing was fixed beforehand, and nothing will be afterwards. Bica gives herself the freedom to enter into dialogue with her models, making each image a universe of its own. Her intuitive and collaborative approach blurs the boundaries between scenography and reality.

The pictures play with contrasts: punk and kitsch flirt with drama and poetry. Each of the people portrayed wears creations by Belgian and Brussels fashion designers, showing in their own way what fashion means to them. Designs by Eunji Oh, Julien Houdremont and Tom Van Der Borght, among others, can be spotted in the images. The clothes function as a second skin for the wearer, while performance, make-up and special effects reinforce their identity.

About Laetitia Bica

Laetitia Bica grew up in Liège and studied at the ESA Saint-Luc. As a professional photographer, she explores different fields, from editorial to fashion to video clips, and works in constant collaboration with stylists, designers, musicians and choreographers. She has taken part in many international festivals and biennials, such as Circulation(s) in Paris, BIP in Liège, UNSEEN in Amsterdam and FOTODOK in Utrecht. In 2023, she was the winner of ‘Changemaker of the Year’ at the Belgian Fashion Awards.

Her artistic practice is based on constant research and experimentation. During her residencies, including at Villa Noailles in Hyères, RAVI in Liège and Het Huis in Utrecht, she combines visual research with spatial installations. Her work revolves around the creation of images, focused on the idea of revealing and exposing. Her creative process is constantly evolving, as she explores the connection between art, the environment and social issues.

Laetitia Bica's plural approach manifests itself in a singular visual language. Her portraits and landscapes take on a new kind of materialism and vibrant colours, the characters and landscapes blur the line with our reality. Laetitia Bica's approach is rooted in a contemporary world populated by recurring references to the sacred, the decay and the sea: the evolution of forms, the matrix of life, organised chaos and subversive elegance.

AN EXPO WITH

An exhibition with the creations of:
Adam Denzler, Carla Lazaro, Chloe Ucedo, Clara Besnard, Eunji Oh, Etienne Madamet, Flora Miranda, Florent Seligman, Igor Dieryck, Hortense Tillet, Jessica Cotte, Julien Houdremont, Kais Masood, Luna-Isola Bersanetti, Manlio Fasce Fernandez, Marie Scerri, Marguerite Tenot, Mauricio Cabrera Lozano, Maud Brunstein, Muriel Nisse, Pauline Haumont, Peiwen Mao, Sander Bos, Tom Van Der Borght and Judith Trefaut.

And models:
Arno Verbruggen, Naomi Waku, Morphae, Drag Couenne, Christina Guieb, Catherine Mattelaer, Daphne Agten, Nançy Naser Al Deen & Mbunga Kongi Milka, Nour Beetch & Nicky Lapierre et Alice Forsberg, Alexandra Siebert, Patricia Cala of Ateliers Indigo.