Bieke Depoorter (born 1986 in Belgium) is a documentary photographer known for her deeply intimate and immersive approach to storytelling, often forging close personal connections with her subjects. A Magnum Photos member, she first gained recognition with her series Ou Menya (2011), where she photographed the private lives of families in Russia, staying with strangers in their homes. This method of embedding herself within domestic spaces continued with her long-term project As It May Be which she began in Egypt in 2011, during the revolutionary period. Traveling across the country, she relied on the hospitality of Egyptian families, capturing deeply personal portraits of daily life behind closed doors.
In 2017, she returned to Egypt with an early draft of her book, inviting locals to write comments directly onto the photographs, transforming the project into a collaborative dialogue between photographer and subject. The handwritten Arabic texts, often contrasting perspectives on religion, politics, and gender roles, reveal the complex and shifting realities of Egyptian society. By combining portraiture with textual interaction, As It May Be (2018) transcends traditional documentary work, offering a multi-layered, deeply human depiction of a nation in transition. This approach underscores Depoorter’s commitment to ethical storytelling, allowing her subjects to co-author their representation in a way rarely seen in contemporary photography.
Bieke Depoorter
Portraits
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Genealogy of Bieke Depoorter
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