I AM HERE, THE TIME IS NOW is a synapse, a public forum of ideas through artists created by the European Cultural Foundation (ECF) and artistic director Ong Keng Sen. The ECF seeks to contribute to a political culture in Europe that is built on mutual respect for diversity. It wants to see artistic cooperation turn challenging experiences into creative encounter. Diversity is built on world’s history that we all share but that we translate differently in our individual life. In the public forum 'I am here, the time is now', artists from Europe and beyond reflect about the individual choices they make against the background of their generations in time. They tell a new story of Europe – and yes, an optimistic one. “I come from Riga, Latvia. In my childhood it was a part of USSR, when Chernobyl exploded my mom told me not to go play outside. So I did.” Kaspars Groševs, media artist “We come from a zone of silence. [But] you need to talk loudly and openly if you are to keep safe.”...