Alex Grein’s (b. Cologne, 1983; lives and works in Düsseldorf) art is informed by her exploration of the possibilities of photography, which she continually scrutinizes and challenges by incorporating other representational modes into it. The effort to return digital imagery to the physical domain—in effect, the medium’s rematerialization—has been key to the evolution of her creative idiom. In addition to classical photographs, she makes photo-sculptures and installations in three dimensions based on motifs she shoots herself or draws from her archive. In light of today’s digital image production and picture stockpiles growing second by second, the artist probes the question of whether and how a single image can set itself apart today and in the future and undertakes an experimental investigation into photography’s social and political relevance. We Were Here offers comprehensive insight into Grein’s practice, presenting works from the past six years. With essays by Rosário Salema de Carvalho, Linda Conze and Stefan Gronert.