Lieve Shukrani Simoens

Afgestudeerd Bachelor Schilderkunst  2012 Sint-Lucas Gent 

Afgestudeerd Master Vrije Kunsten 2014 LUCA Gent

Docent Beeldatelier Academie Aalst

Lieve Shukrani Simoens is a Belgian-Congolese visual artist and writer, born in Ostend (1991, BE) and currently based in Brussels. She lived in Burundi until she was five years old.

Her work explores the connections between identity, memory and the notion of home. It is a fusion of text, drawing, sculpture, video and photography, where these media meet in time, within concepts, sentences or a word on its own. Simoens focuses primarily on the poetry of the everyday, in which we all search for the meaning of “home” - in ourselves, in everything around us, or everywhere and nowhere, often without directly naming ourselves.

She explores the narrative aspect of identity formation, where language and image enter into a dialogue. By exploring these narrative structures that shape the self, she redefines time. Fascinated by the associative play that emerges from observation, she collects moments and labels them as her memories, from which she recreates her own identity and reality.

Her work and process visualise how memories are constructed and how they affect the construction of the individual and our perception of reality. Everything is constantly changing. For Simoens, all things - both people and places - are composed of an infinite variety of layers, with individual elements derived from lived experiences constantly forming new constellations. Not only do these elements undergo transformation, but also the contexts in which they take shape. In these shifting spaces, she explores the boundary between fiction and nonfiction, the visible and invisible, in relation to time and space, simplicity and complexity.

Simoens captures our constant desire for control in a world that is inherently ambiguous and changeable. She believes that approaching memories differently, especially autobiographical ones, can lead to a new way of thinking about the truths closest to us, fostering a deeper connection to who we really are and to our environment.