The art exhibition “Living Without Leaving? The Perspective of Adriatic-Ionian Young Artists” opens a vivid cultural window into the dilemmas faced by young people across the Adriatic-Ionian region. Supported by the European Commission under the EU Strategy for Adriatic and Ionian Region, the exhibition aims to foster dialogue, empathy, and a deeper understanding of what it means to belong.
Voices of Western Balkans Generation
The participating artists – emerging voices from Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Greece, Italy, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Serbia, and Slovenia – bring strikingly personal yet universally relatable perspectives. Through painting, photography, and mixed media, the works question the shared challenge of whether to stay in one’s home country or leave for opportunities abroad. Their art embodies resilience, longing, and imagination, transforming individual stories into shared European narratives. Each piece tells a story of roots and routes: the pull of home, the push of economic hardship, the hope of opportunity, and the dream of creating vibrant futures without severing ties to one’s place of origin.
Nomadic exhibition
Several of these works have already been showcased at major international events, including the Annual Forum of the Adriatic-Ionian Strategy in Crete, and cultural gatherings in Montenegro and Albania. Now, in Brussels, their voices will resonate at the very heart of Europe, reminding policymakers, residents, and visitors alike of the human dimensions of cohesion, mobility, and solidarity. By presenting these works in a public space, the exhibition bridges the distance between political debate and lived experience, inviting everyone to reflect on the choices young people face today.
EUSAIR: Two seas, one EU strategy
The exhibition is embedded in the wider framework of the EU Adriatic-Ionian strategy, a macro-regional strategy launched in 2014 to strengthen cooperation among 4 EU and 6 neighbouring countries around the Adriatic and Ionian Seas. Beyond cultural exchange, the strategy addresses tangible challenges: improving public services and connectivity in border areas, facilitating access to education and healthcare, and supporting sustainable development. It is a strategy rooted in collaboration, designed to ensure that border communities do not remain at the periphery but are connected, resilient, and empowered. The exhibition echoes this ambition, highlighting the cultural dimension of integration and the EU’s commitment to giving people the right to stay in the places they call home.
Practical details
The exhibition will be hosted in Parc Royal, Brussels, between Rue Lambermont and the Monument au Général Belliard, from 15 September to 22 November 2025. Its launch event, co-organised with the Presidency of the Adriatic-Ionian Strategy currently held by North Macedonia, will take place on 25 September at 17:00, in the presence of EU representatives, young artists, and invited guests. Following the opening ceremony, all participants are invited to a reception and networking opportunity. The exhibition is open to the public, making it accessible to EU policymakers, Brussels residents, tourists, and participants of the Macro-Regional Strategies Days (24–25 September) and the European Week of Regions and Cities (13–15 October).
More information:
Art on tour – Belgium – Living without Leaving
EU Strategy for the Adriatic and Ionian Region
