(a project by Claudia Miccichè, S4C member, a human rights researcher and photo-journalist, with experience working at the Un and various NGOs. She is currently based in Geneva, Switzerland. This project is part of a series on Gender Fluidity shot in Buenos Aires, Argentina)

[in italiano piu' sotto] 

“I am not a boy, I am not a girl, I am a gender fluid”.

“I am A-Gender”.

“I’m a woman”.

“I am non-binary”.

From the day you were born people have told you are male, female, man, woman, gay, straight. Through this series of interviews this project challenges our pre-conceived concept that has been given to us. I have a vagina, but that does not depict my gender.

The research investigates our concept of self-identity through the deconstruction of gender perspectives. Shot during one month of interviews in Buenos Aires (2018), the exposition includes photographs and audio-clips that challenge our pre-defined idea of what it means to be him, her, or other: IDENTITX. Through these voices of Argentinian youth, I explore and forward the concept of gender fluidity.

In Buenos Aires there is a strong opinion on gender identity. Public debates often start by addressing to the public as: Chicos, Chicas and Chices. This the last address, Chices, gives shape and space for a third gender.

Each interview and image asks us to question how we think about our own identity. How has it been shaped through social and cultural constructions? Are we in control? And how can we shape, reject, and recreate it. To what extent do we need to accept the established system of societal values and norms?

In Argentina, I choose my gender.

The Argentinian Gender Identity Law N° 26.743promotes human rights and equality between transgender individuals and the rest of the Argentinian population by recognizing the right to a self-defined gender identity. Gender under this law become open to personal definition. It does not require surgery, proof, or any other evidence.

Diana Sacayánwas the first Argentine citizen to receive a new national identity card (DNI) with her modified gender identity, but tragically she was later killed for her role in this movement. When the murderer was charged with homicide, it was labelled as gender-homicide.

The individuals I interviewed in Buenos Aires assumed that this law must already be a standard in other countries - certainly in Europe, if not also further worldwide. Shockingly, this is still far from the case.

In Switzerland, it’s not (yet) the case.

In Switzerland, transgender individuals must appeal in court to have their change of gender legally recognised, and this is not always granted. In May 2018 the Federal Council announced plans to amend the Swiss Civil Code. This change would allow transgender people to change the official entries for their gender and first names without the red tape, by means of a simple declaration at their local registry office.  And yet today, more than one year later, the Civil Code has not been modified.

Claudia Miccichè

The collective exhibition #Inspiring 1080 in Molenbeek (Brussels) is still going on at the House of Cultures and Social Cohesion. And the title says it all. It is actually inspiring visitors that are looking at location and people of their community in a totally new, different and creative way.

(Housna Malha: "Why I love Photography? It has been 3 years since I practice it and I find it very rewarding. It allows us to open ourselves to others, to dare to try new things, to see Life from a different perspective, because Photography also gives us the sense of sharing. I like the fact that in this workshop we it has been given the opportunity to young people to change the look on the World through a photo and the story that it hides. In addition, Photography allows us to keep full of memories. All the moments of our lives are important, but we do not often realize it at the moment. Because it allows us to plunge back into moments that we could forget forever"

 The famous canal, the Karreveld castle, the Place Communale, the Mima, the Maison des Cultures, the funerary gallery of the communal cemetery ... some emblematic places in the municipality of Molenbeek-Saint-Jean.... Some well known, some less obvious, some conceptual ones and other totally unpredictable (a kitchen!). But all vibrant with emotions captured in the images.

And the characters portrayed... A young world boxing champion, a professional footballer, a soul musician, two young lovers, etc.

The young storytellers (trained by S4C friend Zakaria El Bakkali, the artistic collaboration of Merel T'Hart and Guillaume Vandenbergh and S4C support) are Ahsan Ahmed SIDDIQUI, Asmae MALHA, Eslem AKDAG, Housna MALHA, Mariya Mirabella IHNAT, Rachida SOUFIANE, Yasmine AJJI, Yassine HAYANI.

These teenagers live all in Molenbeek and took up our challenge: to portray inspiring persons of their community to tell positive stories of places otherwise wrongly depicted by mainstream media. 

The project has been sponsored by AT&T with the aim of empowering young talents with the right creative tools to become storytellers of positive stories of change.

From the young football player portrayed in a kitchen (as a symbol of all those young girls that want to grow up knowing they can achieve whatever they dream, without being confined in stereotypes) to a classical dancer portrayed in the main square of Molenbeek that has hit the media for weeks after last year terror attacks. 

(Yassine Hayani: "Photography to me is catching a moment and try to tell a story in one picture"

We  engaged those young storytellers in the making with  long conversations about some classic photographers, some of our heroes and some of the most compelling and historic collective storytelling (like the one of the Farm Security Administration photo storytelling of rural America between 1939 and 1944): Gordon Parks, Walker Evans, Dorothea Lange, Margaret Bourke White, all those who keep inspiring us....

It's  clear they understood their lesson. They understood that Photography (at least they way S4C interprets it) is about letting yourself be involved by what happens to the People, to a community.  It's about keeping the eyes open and looking for small great stories that - maybe - you always had in front of your eyes but never tried to tell.

Photography is very important to me because with that I can send a msg to the world; a positive message like we did with our exposition about Molenbeek. After the negative impact on medias we decided to show the positive image of Molenbeek via an exposition about our own community (Zara Bhatti).

We love this project, we love this exhibition (that was also possibile thanks to the great work of the local municipality) and we can't wait to see and read the other stories in the pipeline.

This is what happens when you inspire young talents. And this is the inspiration we get from them.

S4C Brussels

You know them already. They are back.

Our young friends, the young storytellers of Molenbeek, return with an inspiring project and an exhibition: "Inspiring Art #1080".

It's the results of a brainstorming with them and their tutor, Zakarias, on what would make them feel engaged with their community and nehiborhood (seldom misrepresented by mainstream Media).

The idea was exciting: portraits of inspiring People of their neighborhood, shot in cultural places and seldom "used" locations.

Wow, that was a hell of a great idea! Finding and portraying inspiration in your own community and building a collective positive storytelling!

We then engaged with them a conversation about some classic photographers, some of our heroes and some of the most compelling and historic collective storytelling (like the one of the Farm Security Administration photo storytelling of rural America between 1939 and 1944): Gordon Parks, Walker Evans, Dorothea Lange, Margaret Bourke White, all those who keep inspiring us....

And from their looks during the presentations it was clear they understood their lesson. They understood that Photography (at least they way S4C interprets it) is about letting yourself be involved by what happens to the People, to a community.  It's about keeping the eyes open and looking for small great stories that - maybe - you always had in front of your eyes but never tried to tell.

So, this is the result. An amazing exhibition of which this is just an appetizer.

If you happen to be in Brussels from 3 to 6 May be sure not to miss it at the Maison des Cultures et de la Cohésion Sociale de Molenbeek (Rue Mommaerts 4)

The opening is at 6pm on May 3rd.

Good luck guys, you are amazing.

S4C Team Brussels