GEN-X CLUB CULTURE Photographs by M Skander Daellssy

About Me.

My name is M Skander Daellssy but a different name was imposed to me that I had to change in the 90's to disappear into the night and to not decapitated or worst be deported. So I hid in plain sight. I created this character to escape my fate as an illegal LGBT.

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​I was neither a photographer nor an Artist. I didn't  even intended to become one, life circumstances have made it happen. All I ever wanted was to scream my truth! To talk about the hate against LGBT, fight against oppression, fight against fascism, fight against extremism, fight for women rights, fight for a better life for all. Why couldn’t we all get along.

At that point I have seen more then enough since my very young age after being raped, tortured then nearly decapitated by some who have judged me unworthy.  The worst that could have happened to me was to be deported to a country where it was a crime, a felony just to be me. ​

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My only crime was to be born this way. In the wrong country and in the wrong family.

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I was born Skander then my name was changed so to fit the society that my father wanted to be part of. I was born the 8 of March somewhere in the 70s in Abidjan, ivory coast from French / Algerian diplomat parents. I grew up during the cold war on the other side of the wall as my father was more of a caviar communist, under the regime some dictator. Torn apart from my French, Turkish, Jewish, Spanish and Arab roots, I never belonged anywhere. Hated by most, I spent my childhood bullied by all, even by my own family, just for being me. The concept of love and hate  plays a significant role in my life, it was the that fed my hunger and pushed me to Express it. I used photography and painting as my medium of expression. Later on I joined a photography school to learn the basics.

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My work was neither about aestheticism nor sensationalism. I just needed to express love and hate

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I was living in Brussels as an undocumented illegal Alien even though i was born French. Between 1995 and until 2001 I was hiding from the authorities on one side, in order to not be deported to where I would have been incarcerated, raped and most probably decapitated. And on the other hand escaping those who have judged me guilty of unspeakable crimes and decided to decapitate me for being unworthy.

Hiding from the Islamist terror groups that had me on a list. I changed my name to M.Skander disappearing into the night, literally. Where I created this new character, a night creature, a new personality, a new identity that allowed me  to navigate the system, fight my battles and scream my truth.

So that i could live as my self , me. Just Being me. For the Belgian art circles I became A Belgian Artist without even being a Belgian Citizen. An Illegal who was called in all the Belgian news papers " Belgian artist" or " Artiste Bruxellois". Obviously a few years later I became one, A Belgian, artist . And  that was who i was meant to be. Today I am proud to call myself " Artiste Belge "! The battle was long but it was worth it to finally belong somewhere.

In 2001 I for the annual Belgian Pride I was invited to dress up Manneken pis the symbol of Brussels. I was then the first LGBT person to dress up Manneken pis. An honour only reserved to a selected few.

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How did it all started and why photography?

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In early 90s my childhood best friend was shot and killed in Algiers while he was visiting his father. It was an era of terror where artists, intellectuals, professors, journalists, LGBT and anyone who didn’t fit their social rules were shot or decapitated just for not being part of the new Islamist state. They were considered unworthy. They had no choice but to renounce their believes and education or to suffer the judgment and to be killed by decapitation.

In memory of My friend Aziz in the summer 1995 I bought a camera at the Brussels flea market, some negative films and went to Algiers to take photographs. I refused to take pictures of bombs and guns, corpses and death. I decided to honour my friends and all the citizens of Algeria by taking pictures of life. How people resisted the oppression by continuing to live and smile . So all my photographs were about Life and not death.

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Alger la vie continue in 1996 marked the beginning of my photographic career. it was A tribute to the inhabitants of Algiers. Taking pictures of every day’s life during the Algerian war against terror. I remember saying ¨ I will not take pictures of corpses and bombs to feed the hunger for sensationalism nor to make a fantastic art piece staging other´s misery. My work is about love. There is only love gestures in my artwork" . I will not corrupt my light by scavenging on other's.

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