Vernissage 16.09, 6pm

Daily 17/ 18 (12:00 - 18:00)

THIS IS US is an expansive photographic project developed over five years across three cities— Rome, Paris, and Berlin—featuring portraits of 62 young people. Focusing on individuals, environments, and relationships, the project tells the story of teenagers who share a common experience: they come from migrant backgrounds and, as a result, are not eligible for citizenship until they turn eighteen.

The project began in Rome in 2021, where portraits of 30 teenagers were exhibited in public spaces along the route of Tramway 19—a line that connects the city center with its outskirts. The photographs occupied billboards traditionally reserved for advertising, transforming the urban landscape into a space of visibility and storytelling. Following the success of the Roman edition, and driven by the project’s international and transnational spirit, artist Maria Di Stefano felt the need to expand the work while maintaining itscore focus, methodology, and central questions—this time relocating from Rome to Paris.

Rooted in a socio-anthropological approach, THIS IS US explores how the same migratory condition is shaped differently depending on context—socially, culturally, psychologically, and in terms of urban development. Through intimate portraits and glimpses into daily environments, the project examines how place influences identity and belonging. By giving faces to what are often seen as anonymous statistics, the project challenges stereo- typical, reductive, and folklorized representations of “the foreigner.” Instead, it creates space for young people to share their stories and be seen in their full complexity.